


Shiinealight

by liquid_dreams



Series: Until We Get It Right [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canonical Character Death, Childhood Friends, F/M, Founding of Konoha, Friends to Lovers, Growing Up Together, Male-Female Friendship, Masamune, Muramasa - Freeform, On Hiatus, References to Real Historical Figures, Samurai, Swords, Warring States Period (Naruto), Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2020-06-24 07:52:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 47,365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19719379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/liquid_dreams/pseuds/liquid_dreams
Summary: Young Shiina always expected her life to be spent chasing the shadow that ruined her childhood while working under the constraints of a hidden order of samurai. Yet a fateful meeting by the riverside has the potential to change the course of two lonely souls' destinies.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set during the Warring States Period and the Founding of Konoha. Obviously an AU. Very much a WIP. I make no claims of being a Naruto lore nerd so some things might be different from canon.

It was a beautiful warm day in the dense forests of the Land of Fire. Where the canopies allowed it warm sunlight shone down upon the soft forest floor and the beaten trails that criss crossed it. Insects buzzed around and the fresh clean air rustled the leaves. A baby's cry cut suddenly through the peaceful silence, followed by the howl of a wolf, which cut off abruptly. The reason for this was a panting young man with short black hair and a look of pure determination on his face. Both of his calloused hands were wrapped securely around the handle of a glinting blade. Seated on the ground behind him was a young woman with long silvery hair who was breating just as harshly, but for a different reason. She was staring in amazement at a wet, crying young baby in her arms, still connected to her by the umbilical cord. Her back was resting against one of the wheels of their carriage, whilst the one next to it was broken and the reason for their delay. Three grey wolves with hungry yellow eyes were circling around the young family. A fourth one had been cut down by the young man and was now bleeding out on the ground.

"Fuuka, are you alright?" The man asked tensely without turning around.

"Yes, I... Yes," she replied as if in a daze.

"The baby. Is it..?"

"Alive. Healthy, I think," she went on and cradled the crying child to her chest, trying to cover its pink skin with the fabric of her green yukata.

Still she winced when more blood flowed out of her. The man shifted slightly and let out a quiet curse.

"Damn wolves! We need to get moving again!" He hissed under his breath.

As if they sensed his desperation to leave the wolves began to circle closer. One lunged suddenly, but the man reacted lightning fast and cut it down. A second one followed the attack and snapped at his leg, but he also cut it down. The fourth and largest of the animals regarded him cautiously, obviously hesitant to attack now. The young man stomped his foot on the ground and yelled at it, slashing his sword in a threatening manner. It retreated into the underbush and eyed them from a distance. The woman rocked the crying child in an attempt to quiet it down. When the man's shoulders relaxed and he threw a glance over his shoulder the wolf came charging at him.

"Hiroshi!" The woman yelled in alarm.

His head whipped around and he raised his blade with a hiss. The wolf jumped at him, going straight for the throat. The woman clutched the child to her chest and screamed in terror when the large creatures' jaw clamped down mercilessly on his lower left arm. Hiroshi gasped in pain, but used the wolf's distraction to grab the sword with his right hand and stab it in the back repeatedly. Blood spurted into the air and it took forever until it finally fell dead. Hiroshi's lower left arm had been badly mauled. She squeezed her eyes shut and let out a small sob.

"Fuuka.. It.. It's alright," he said in a strained voice. "The cord.. Let me help you."

"Hi-Hiroshi..," she sobbed as he dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Help me out, would you?" He said with a pained smile.

She nodded shakily and lifted the umbilical cord with her free hand. He cut it swiftly and let out a hissing breath once it was done. She quickly tied it and gave him a concerned look. Their livelihood was at stake now.

"Hiroshi, your arm.."

"Don't worry," he grunted and stood up. "It'll be fine."

"If you say so," she replied dubiously.

"Have you thought of a name for the..?"

"How about we call her Shiina?" She suggested.

"It's a girl?" He asked curiously as he covered his bleeding arm with the sleeve of his dark blue yukata.

"Yes."

"Alright. Iroi Shiina sounds good to me," he replied with a smile.

Fortunately another caravan came by not much later and stopped, helping them fix their broken wheel and tend to Hiroshi's wound. The Iroi family made it to a nearby village where the doctor had a look at all three of them. Mother and child were fine, but there was no saving Hiroshi's arm, which had to be amputated. It was quite a shock for them since he made a living as a swordsmith. As they were out of options now the family decided to settled down in the village, which was barely more than a hamlet consisting of five houses. The villagers were good folks, though. They had plently of help building a small house. Hiroshi never complained about having to abandon his nomadic lifestyle and neither did Fuuka, who was secretly glad they finally settled down. Eventually he learned how to work around his handicap and resumed his trade, for which was plenty of demand in the farming village. Scythes, knives and sickles had to be sharpened all the time. It wasn't the same as working samurai blades, but he managed to find some kind of contentment in it anyway. The Irois managed to seamlessly integrate themselves into the community and after three years nobody considered them outsiders anymore.

Iroi Shiina wasn't like other girls. In fact, she wasn't like other human beings. She had no fear of anything, no matter what the village kids tried. She liked going into the forest to play by herself at all times. More than once she'd frightened her mother to tears after she'd left the house in the middle of the night, but she had more energy than she could spend and required almost no sleep. She didn't know why her parents were so worried about wolves getting her. Shiina had met wolves once, but they didn't attack. They'd just circled her warily a few times and left. There wasn't much in the tiny little village that could hold her attention for long. She learned things quickly, whether it was reading, writing or math. What did interest her was her father's trade. She often watched him work his forge and sharpen the farmers' tools. She also liked his stories about all the places he'd visited and the people he met. Apparently he'd been a renowned swordsmith once who created swords for rich samurai and even nobles.

"Papa can I hold that?" She asked and pointed at a small handsickle lying on his workbench.

"No darling, that's sharp! You could cut your fingers off," he replied sternly and looked up from the scythe blade he was currently whetting.

"But you don't cut yourself," she objected with a pout, eyes on the pretty shiny sickle.

"Because I have experience with blades," he said patiently.

"Can you teach me?" She asked eagerly as she watched him draw the whetting stone along the edge of the blade.

"You're far too young," he replied with a mildly uncomfortable look. "Your mother would have my hide if I let you wield something sharp."

"Then just don't tell her!" She rebutted stubbornly and pouted at him.

He just raised a brow and adjusted the blade he'd clamped between his thighs. "My my, aren't you a sly little thing?"

"I heard old man Itoshi say that there's been fighting nearby," Shiina said and kicked her legs. "He said that the shinobi clans are fightin' each other. He said that they razed a village in their fightin'!"

"Has he now?" Her father replied dryly. "Or did you eavesdrop again?"

"No! I didn't!" Shiina protested indignantly. "But what if we're attacked? Shouldn't I be able to defend myself?"

"Shiina," he sighed. "You're four. You should enjoy your childhood and let us worry about the rest."

Shiina furrowed her brows and looked out of the open door of the wooden shed that housed her father's small forge. Light shone through one of the open windows. The pleasant smell of burning wood filled her nose and the warm glow of the nearby fire was almost too hot.

"It's so boring here," she said quietly and swung her legs under the wooden bench she sat on.

"Well, you are a quick learner," her father said after a while. "And I suppose you have a point. We do live in troubled times, I won't lie."

"So you'll teach me?" She asked eagerly.

"Just don't tell your mother," he said with a pained smile.

"Yay!" She cheered and jumped off the bench.

They started out with a small pocket knife, to her disappointment. Shiina quickly got a feel for the grip and weight of it. Her father taught her small tricks for self-defense, which she mastered with her usual speed. Even though he was reluctant to do so, he had to admit that she had a talent for swordsmanship.

"You've reall gotten the hang of this," he said one evening with an unmistakeably proud look in his eyes.

"Yup!" She beamed and puffed out her chest, mighty pleased with the praise.

"Maybe it shouldn't come as a surprise," he laughed and patted the benchh besides him. "Come. Sit."

Shiina hopped up on the bench besides him and gave him a curious look. The lines on her father's forehead spoke volumes of a life of hard work. He rubbed his stubbly chin and looked at the red and peach colored sky as the sun began to set.

"Can you keep a secret, Shiina?"

"Of course, papa!" She replied quickly.

"I've never told anybody about this and with good reason. My father was a really famous samurai."

"Really?!" Shiina exclaimed with wide eyes.

"Really," he laughed. "He was exiled from his homeland and chose to start over here. He became famous and renowned for his sword skills."

"That's amazing! What happened then?"

"He found a wife and settled down to start a family," her father deadpanned. "Since he'd made a lot of money they could live very comfortably after he retired."

"Wow."

Her father rubbed his chin again with a throughtful look and let out a small sigh. "I don't think he ever really enjoyed his retirement. He taught me and my brothers all he knew about wielding a blade."

"So you're a samurai, too?" She asked with wide excited eyes.

"No, I'm a swordsmith," he laughed and ruffled her silver hair with his good hand.

"What happened to him? Grandfather, I mean."

Her father shrugged and looked away. "We haven't spoken in many years. I'm afraid I disappointed him deeply by not following in his footsteps like he wanted me to."

"That sucks," she muttered.

"It is what it is," he sighed. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure he'd be proud of how talented you are."

"Really?" Shiina asked dubiously, pondering whether she should take it as a compliment.

"Yes," he replied and stood up suddenly. "That reminds me.. I should still have his sword. He passed it on to me when I came of age."

"Ohh!" Shiina gasped and stood up as well.

He went through a small door that led from the forge into their house and Shiina shifted excitedly on her feet while she waited. A real samurai sword! Here, in their little house! He returned with a long object wrapped in cloth in his hands and grinned when he saw her expression.

"This is Muramasa Seiken," he said as he unwrapped the blade and held it out for her to see. "Our family heirloom."

"Oh," Shiina breathed with wide eyes. "It's beautiful!"

Seiken was a long blade in a black sheath. It's handle was black wrapped with a red cloth in a criss cross pattern. Everything about it seemed regal and powerful. Shiina could sense an enormous, almost overwhelming power hidden inside. For some reason her father's expresion was troubled as he regarded her.

"You think this is beautiful?" He asked.

"Yeah?" She replied uncertainly.

He dropped his gaze to the sheathed sword and furrowed his brows lightly. "Some call it an unholy blade. It's been passed down our family for generations and has taken countless lives. It is said to cause destruction wherever it goes. Father said that the blade choses its wielder and even is able to possess those who lack willpower."

"Oh."

"Nevermind. I shouldn't have showed it to you," he muttered and clamped the hilt between his legs while he used his good hand to wrap it again. "Don't know what came over me. Forget what you saw."

Shiina shifted uneasily. Maybe she should've said something different? Her father looked disturbed for some reason. She watched him wrap up the sword and couldn't help but feel a pang of longing. For some reason she was absolutely smitten with the blade. It was so beautiful! Something told her that she'd be able to wield it really well and that it wanted to be wielded by her. Once it was wrapped up again he took it and went back inside. Shiina held her breath, bit the inside of her cheek and followed him as quietly as she could. He disappeared into the master bedroom with the sword, so she assumed that's where he kept it. Feeling disappointed she went back to the forge. What a beautiful sword. She wondered what it would feel like in her hands.

Shiina knew she had blue eyes, even though she didn't often catch sight of her own reflection. It didn't occur to her to find it odd until she heard some of the old ladies in the village whisper behind her back. Both of her parents had light brown eyes, so why did their daughter have blue ones? Was she perhaps another man's child?! Shiina didn't care enough to pay attention to such ridiculous gossip. As if her mom would ever lie to her dad! Old Kaede and even older Michiko were just mean old hags. She overheard her parents talking about them once, saying that they were jealous that their grandchildren weren't as smart as her. It had to be true since she began to notice more and more that the other children were starting to exclude her, at first only when they played catch, then with other games as well. It was kind of unfair, because it wasn't her fault that she was fast and loved the thrill of the chase and was a good catcher. Instead she then focused on hitting the wooden target her father built for her with her wooden practice sword. It took a lot of convincing to get permission from her mom for that. After a few weeks of that she felt really bored with it. Her dad kept saying she was too young for real combat practice, even though her fifth birthday was coming up. None of the other kids would talk to her, so she was on her own.

Shiina, being the naturally curious girl that she was, pretended to be asleep one evening when her parents went over to the neighbour's house for a drink. It was far too hot to sleep and the sword had been on her mind since her father showed it to her. She snuck into her parent's bedroom, casting furtive looks around even though they were gone. The search didn't take long, since her father apparently kept it in a wooden trunk at the foot end of the bed. The lid was heavy and she had some trouble lifting it. As soon as her eyes landed on the cloth wrapped sword they widened in awe. This close she could almost feel its presence. Shiina put a hand on it and felt her skin prickle at the contact.

"Wow," she murmured under her breath and closed her hand around the hilt.

It was heavy. Like, really heavy. She had to use both hands to pull it out of the trunk. Shiina looked around before she started to unwrap the linen cloth around it. Even the sheath was beautiful. Made of wood and painted shiny black. There was a golden lion engraved near the hilt and the paint still glimmered like it was brand new. Shiina touched it and ran her fingers over the engraving. So beautiful! Even though her father had said not to, she tugged at the handle until a hand's lenght of glinting steel became visible. Shiina admired how deadly it looked. Sharper than any of the farmer's tools she'd seen so far. As soon as she'd tugged the blade free of its hilt she felt a shiver run down her back. It felt like something changed suddenly and she looked around with a curious expression, but there was nothing unusual. She fixed her eyes on the long blade as she lifted it with trembling arms. In the light of the hallway lamp that shone into the room she admired how it gleamed. The hilt felt weirdly good in her hands. Soft like leather. Shiina furrowed her brows in concentration and slowly made a swishing motion from side to side. Her arms were already growing tired from lifting such a weight, so she regretfully put the sword down on the ground and slid the sheath back on. Then she wrapped the linen around it and put it back in the trunk, hoping that her father wouldn't notice.

Shiina went back to her room and tried to sleep, but as usual she couldn't quiet the thoughts racing through her brain. It didn't help that she didn't feel tired in the least. She kept twisting and turning in bed until she heard her parents come home. The thin wooden and rice paper walls let every sound through with minimal resistance.

"-can't believe he'd say that!" Her mother said.

She sounded upset for some reason. Shiina bit her lower lip and stared at the dark ceiling.

"Hideyoshi's always been a bastard," her father replied bluntly.

Shiina held her breath in surprise. She'd never heard him curse before. He, too, sounded upset. What happened over at the Suzukis' place?! Their footsteps went past her room and she listened to them go to their bedroom and settle down for the night. Whatever happened, she was almost certain that they wouldn't tell her about it. Adults were all so secretive. They kept underestimating her and it was annoying.

Even the adults began to avoid her nowadays. Shiina paid a lot of attention to the way people behaved, even though she tried not to let it show. The looks she got became increasingly cooler. Almost wary. She had no clue why, but on the occasions her mother took her shopping in the small market place she noticed that she, too, was regarded in a rather unwelcoming way.

"Mother, why do people look at us like that?" She asked on the way home.

Her mother sighed. "They don't like being dependent on your father."

"Huh?" Shiina blinked.

Her mother brushed her silver braid over her shoulder and adjusted her basket in her elbow.

"He makes his money by fixing their tools. They don't like it. I believe they're jealous of his job."

"But why?"

"All our neighbours work in the fields day in and day out. It's hard, gruelling labor. Meanwhile your father is always at his forge. Because of his handicap he sits a lot while working. I suppose they think he's got it too easy."

"That's stupid!" Shiina exclaimed with a frown. "Dad works hard, too!"

"I know, but they don't see that," her mother replied and gave her a tired smile. "Don't let it bother your, darling."

Shiina looked away with a frown. It was highly unfair! Trying to distract herself, she looked at the Yamamoto's fish pond as they walked past. Her blurry reflection looked back. Bright blue eyes and silver hair that fell down her back.

"Mother, why are my eyes blue?" She asked quietly.

Much to her surprise and unease, her mother flinched a little. Shiina stared up at the side of her face and noticed her jaw tense.

"There.. was a wolf," she said hesitantly, as if she was searching for the right words. "A big, fearsome wolf. He haunted the village I grew up in. When your father came passing through he heard about it and volunteered to hunt it down. He was so charismatic and fearless that he inspired courage in the locals. He set out with a hunting party of five."

Shiina smiled a little at the fondness in her voice. Her mother brushed some loose hairs out of her face.

"What happened then?" She prompted.

"Your father was the only one who returned. He didn't say what happened, but it was easy to guess. He killed the wolf in the end and brought back its pelt as proof. Needless to say, he became the village hero. We fell in love shortly afterwards and got married. He's always been a traveller. After half a year he'd grown so restless that we hit the road."

"You guys just left? What about your family?"

"I was an orphan," her mother replied quietly and kept her gaze on the street. "And somewhat of a pariah anyway. I doubt I'm missed."

"Oh. Okay. So about my eyes?"

"I don't know, darling. Perhaps one of my parents had blue eyes," she replied uneasily.

Shiina sensed that she wasn't telling the whole truth and started to pout. When her mother glanced down at her she sighed again.

"Your father... he.. the wolf wounded him and while he recovered he was plagued with fever. I let him stay at my house and cared for him during that time. He had fever dreams and kept saying random and confusing things. About a wolf with blue eyes, looking at him like a human would. Pure nonsense, I'm sure."

"Oooh, awesome," Shiina commented.

"It's a silly story, dear. Nothing else," she replied with a smile and ran a hand over her head. "Though you certainly act like a little she-wolf sometimes!"

Shiina grinned up at her. Back home she helped her cook dinner while her father worked at his forge. It was winding up to be yet another sweltering hot summer day, so she opted to stay in the shade. She laid down on the engawa outside and dozed off to the sounds of bees buzzing through the garden and birdcalls in the forest.

Fire. Her dream was filled with fire and flashing images. Shiina felt like she was floating backwards, away from the raging flames. It started to look like a wall of fire on dark ground. Suddenly a shadowy figure appeared before the wall of flames. She couldn't make out any features outside of short, shaggy black hair and a pair of glowing red eyes.

"Pick me up, little girl," the figure said with a voice that sounded vaguely male. "Take me out of the house and hide me well. Hurry."

The figure spoke pleasantly and smiled as she could tell by the white teeth flashing at her, but deep down she didn't fully trust it. Him. Whatever this was. The words sounded urgent and sincere, though.

"He must not find me. Hurry."

He? She wanted to ask, but then she started to wake up and the scenery faded. Strange. Everything was normal. The garden was still brightly lit, though the sun had wandered through the sky, and a gentle breeze ruffled her hair. That voice.. Shiina looked down. That figure. She could instinctively tell that it had been the sword speaking to her. Strange. It couldn't be. It warned her of somebody. Right, it wanted her to take it out of the house. She glanced at the nearby sliding wall and stood up slowly. How was she supposed to explain this to her parents? Her father would surely scold her if she took the sword! Shiina slowly slid the door to the livingroom open and paused when she heard voices from the hallway. There was an unfamiliar male voice speaking to her mom. Oh no?! Shiina hurried inside and tiptoed through the livingroom to peek. True enough, her mother was speaking to a tall stranger at the front door. He wore a loose emerald tunic with a diamond pattern and loose black pants. Two hilted swords were fastened to his left on his belt. The stranger had an even face, a chiselled jaw and a straight nose. His smile was broad and inviting. He had short curly blond hair and sharp light grey eyes. She didn't like those eyes and the way they looked at her mom.

Still, while they were both distracted she slipped out of the door and down the hallway as quiet as a mouse. Once inside her parent's bedroom she hurried to open the chest and took the sword out. Then she glanced at the window, which was the only other way out. Shiina slid the window open and threw the sword out before hurriedly climbing after it. Then she gathered the wrapped blade in her arms and ran towards the forest. There was a hollowed out tree trunk she knew would make the perfect hiding spot. Just to make sure she threw a few more dead leaves on it until the linen was no longer visible. Then she slowly made her way back to the house. That stranger made her uneasy, even at first glance. When she came back her father and him were sitting on the floor across from each other in the middle of the livingroom. Shiina peeked on them through a small crack in the wooden wall from outside. Her father wore a blank, but vaguely polite expression while the stranger smiled like he didn't have a care in the world. While he sat relaxed, her father seemed oddly tense.

"So you're saying you're a descendant of Muramasa as well?" Her father asked.

"Indeed," the stranger replied pleasantly and inclined his head. "I'm Muramasa Yami. I hail from the family's main line, descended from his eldest son Atsushi. From what I understand you must be the offspring of his sixth son, Iemura. We call this the sixth progenitor. You see, genealogic research is a hobby of mine."

"I see," her father replied curtly. "So we are related?"

"Cousins, if you will," the man said with a winsome smile. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Cousins, huh? Isn't that a bit of a stretch?" Maybe it was her imagination, but her father just sounded a bit annoyed.

"Oh, details, details!" He laughed and waved a hand. "We're family, cousin! Descended from the same master swordsmith! The legendary Muramasa!"

"So what brings you to us, cousin?"

The blond man still smiled that broad, strangely empty looking smile. "Blood calls to blood, I always say! I felt a sudden urge to meet the only remaning members of the sixth branch. All other branches exept for the first have sadly died out over the years, so imagine my joy at discovering you were still alive."

"Indeed."

"It's great to finally meet extended family, isn't it?"

Her father forced a smile and nodded mutely. The blond man looked completely unbothered by the obvious lack of sincerity and grinned. Shiina watched as her mom brought in a tray with two cups and a kettle of tea on it. When she bent down to put it on the low table between the two men the blond guy stared unabashedly with a grin. Her brows furrowed at the way his eyes roamed over her mom, who seemed to ignore him as she put the cups down in front of them and poured some tea. From her angle she could see what was going on, but apparently her father couldn't or he surely would have had something to say about that behavior. That guy watched her mom leave the room before he turned to her dad with a grin.

"Just where did you find such a beauty?" He commented with a nod in direction of the door.

Her dad's brows furrowed slightly. "I passed through the village where she used to live on my travels."

"Wow, lucky," he commented.

"Anyway, how long do you plan on staying here? I'm afraid there isn't much to see."

"Ah, let's get to know each other for a little bit, shall we?" He said and picked up his cup. "You still work as a smith? I can tell by the soot stains on your sleeves."

By comparison, the stranger's clothing looked very expensive and completely clean. The way he spoke to her father angered her. It was plain to see that her father felt the same, but he had a lot of self-control.

"Yes, but these days I only fix the farmers' tools."

"Ah, shame," Yami commented flippantly. "That must have been such a downgrade after working for the elites of the land."

"I've grown used to it," her father replied stiffly and took a sip of his own tea. "So what do you do for a living, cousin?"

The stranger just seemed vaguely amused by her father's agitation, which pissed her off even more. He was enjoying this, the bastard! Why couldn't they just throw him out?!

"Me? Well, as a member of the first progenitor's line I don't really have to work," he said, as if it was a nasty word. "We've inherited all the wealth that comes with our ancestry. Members of the noble families still comission swords from us when they can afford it. My younger brother Kunishige, who is a widely renowned swordsmith, takes care of business. That leaves me free to pursue my hobbies, such as practicing my swordsmanship and collecting blades."

Shiina straightened up in alarm at the gleam that had entered his pale grey eyes. He looked dangerous for a moment. And greedy. Her eyes travelled to the swords at his left.

"Collecting swords?" Her father asked with interest. "So those two..?"

"Muramasa Ikari and Muramasa Hisan'na. The originals," he replied proudly and petted the black hilts. "Forged by the master himself. They're part of a series of three blades he forged after his defeat at the hand of Masamune."

"Oh, so that story is true, huh?" Her father asked and raised a brow.

"Of course it is," the stranger laughed. "The third blade of that series still eludes me, though."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, yes. It's a shame. Tracking down these things after such a long time is very difficult. It takes a lot of research and reading. Master Muramasa has passed down his masterpieces to his sons, but from there on out it gets difficult. Who got what, where did they go, did they lose or sell the swords? After more than four hundred years it gets difficult."

"So that's how you spend your time?" Her father asked calmly. "Chasing old swords?"

"Indeed. I thought it prudent to retrieve the swords that rightly belong to the family. It's been my life's work, actually. Muramasa has forged many swords, but few are true masterpieces. Such as the three he forged after his defeat. The old master was obsessed with the idea of proving himself, so he continuously bettered his technique. Unfortunately Masamune was always considered the superior smith, no matter what he did. It made him very.. bitter."

"Understandable, I guess," her father replied and eyed the blond stranger.

"If you and your wife wish to visit me sometime, I shall gladly show you my collection," he said easily and took a sip of tea.

"Just spit it out already," her father suddenly said and put down his cup with an audible clack. "You're here because you think I have the third sword, right?"

The stranger slowly lifted both brows. "Do you?"

"No," he lied smoothly.

"That's a shame," Yami replied lightly and smiled a bit wider. "It is getting rather late. Perhaps I should leave."

"Oh nonsense!" Her mother replied after suddenly entering the room again. "You must be tired. Stay the night. We'll make room."

Both men looked at her in surprise, but she gave the stranger a surprisingly natural smile. He inclined his head with a small grin.

"That's a kind offer, dear. Don't mind if I take you up on that."

Her father remained silent, but it was plain to see that he wasn't too happy at the prospect. Shiina swallowed hard. The stranger hadn't seen her yet and she really didn't want to meet that guy. Everything about him screamed bad news. Why didn't her mother seem to realize as much? She just smiled at the stranger before she went to pick up their cups. While she did that, he ogled her again. Ugh. Shiina's nose scrunched up. After her mother left the room she rounded the house and went straight to the kitchen.

"Mom, I wanna sleep in my tree house tonight," she said plainly.

"Alright, dear," her mother replied absently without even looking at her.

Huh, she was acting kinda weird. For some reason she almost looked a bit giddy. Must be because they seldomly recieved visitors. Shiina thought about what she'd said, about not having a family. Perhaps that was it. She went to the treehouse her dad had helped her build and climbed up the ladder. It had a makeshift door and a solid roof. From up here she could also keep an eye on the treestump. She doubted she'd get much sleep anyway, so she might as well keep watch.

Even though her stomach growled the next day, she refused to go inside the house while that guy was there. One of the farmers went up to their house and left a little while later with her father. That was what made her climb down. Her mom shouldn't be alone with that guy! She went up to the kitchen and felt relief when she saw that her mom was fine, busy making lunch with a small smile on her face. It was pretty rare to see her in such a good mood, which made her happy.

"Hey mom, can I go swimming in the lake today?"

"Sure, darling," she replied distractedly as she stirred a pot. "Have you eaten yet?"

"I'll just grab these!" Shiina grinned and snatched two riceballs before hurrying away.

It was downright weird. Her mom neither reprimanded her for taking food just like that, nor for wanting to go to the lake by herself. It was like she wasn't too focused at the moment. Shiina of course had no intention of going to the lake. She returned to the treehouse and kept an eye on the house. It took what felt like forever until her dad returned. Shiina exhaled with relief, until she heard muffled shouting coming from the house. That.. that wasn't good. She threw a worried look at the tree stump where the sword was hidden. If that guy was causing her parents trouble... Even if she couldn't use the sword, her dad surely could. Shiina stumbled over a root since she wasn't paying attention to where she walked, caught up in her thoughts as she was, and fell. A pained wince flashed over her face as she realized that her knee was scraped. She got back up and grabbed the sword, intent on doing something even though she didn't know what. The shouting seemed to come from the livingroom, so that is where she crept. She went to her spying hole and felt the blood rush from her face at the scene inside. Her mother was lying face down on the floor. Even more horrifying was the fact that the lower half of her yukata had been pushed up and exposed her naked butt. She wasn't moving, but at least she was breathing. Shiina's gaze slowly turned to look at the tall stranger and her father. Her father, who was dangling above the floor since the stranger had grabbed his throat and lifted him up with just one hand. His good hand was wrapped around the stranger's wrist and he looked absolutely furious.

"Don't be mad, cousin. She was begging for it," the blond said in an uncaring tone. "Being family is all about sharing, right?"

"Fucking pig!" Her father managed to grit out.

"Where is it? Where did you hide it?" He demanded. "I've already offered you money once, I won't do it again. Now I shall take what is mine by force. So spit it out and I might yet spare your life."

"Bedroom."

"It's not there. I already checked," he replied in a bored tone.

"Impossible!"

Shiina's heart started to pound. What should she do? Hand the sword over? Was he gonna kill her parents otherwise? She swallowed hard and stared at the wrapped bundle in her arms. Was it worth her parents' lives? Surely not. Maybe he'd just leave if she... A strong sense of dread and alarm befell her. No, that guy was merciless. He'd kill them all. But she couldn't just watch! She bit her lower lip so hard she tasted blood.

"I tire of this, you one-handed cripple!" The blond drawled suddenly. "When was the last time you managed to satisfy your beautiful wife, hmm? You should've heard her moans. You know, I think I'll just take her with me."

"No!"

"Hn. You've wasted my time long enough. You pitiful spawn of a lesser progenitor are no longer worthy of my time," he said and threw her father so hard against the wall that he just sunk down into a heap after the impact.

Shiina inhaled sharply and tensed when he turned around, bent down and picked her mother up like she weighed nothing. Her yukata fell down and covered her again. The blond man slung her over his shoulder like a sack, making her long silvery hair fall down in front of him. Shiina couldn't move. There wasn't a single thing she could do. This was her fault. It made her stomach sink. The blond stranger walked through the livingroom and out of sight. She heard the front door open and close, yet she couldn't move. It was like an unseen force had paralyzed her and put her in a daze. Inside the house she could see her father start to wake up. His head moved and she heard a pained groan.

"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet."

Shiina flinched when several streams of fire suddenly burst into the house from different angles, incinerating everything in their path. They were oddly dragon-shaped and tore through the paper walls with ease, setting fire to the entire house within moments. Everything started to burn. The floor, the walls, the roof. Her father was still in there! She sucked in a startled breath when she realized she could move again and the first thing she did was scramble backwards on the engawa. No. Not this, she thought desperately. The flames spread quickly and she no longer cared about the stranger or the stupid sword. She dropped it in the tall grass of their backyard and pulled the sliding door open.

"Papa!" She yelled at full volume to be heard over the roar of the blaze.

It was no use, she couldn't see anything but the orange flames anymore. Thick black smoke did the rest to block her vision. Shiina swallowed hard and glared at the flames. This was not going to keep her from her dad! She had to find a way inside to get him out. The flames reached for her, nipping at her loose hair and yukata whenever she got too close. It pissed her off because she was wasting time!

"Hold on papa, I'll get you out of there," she yelled desperately and glanced up when she heard the roof creak threateningly. "I'm coming!"

She ducked to avoid the black smoke and tried to set foot inside the blazing room in her increasing despair to get her dad out. This couldn't be happening to her! First her mother got abducted and now her dad was trapped inside the flames! She couldn't lose them! Tears started to blur her vision and her lower lip began to tremble. The hem of her yukata caught on fire and she hastily patted it out, wincing in pain at the way her hand stung afterwards.

"Shiina," a rasping voice said from somewhere inside the blaze. "Go!"

"Papa?!" She yelled and squinted hard. "Papa get out of there!"

When the roof suddenly cracked and collapsed halfway she let out a scream of terror. No! Not like this! She stared at the flames in horror and utter despair as something black and desolate seized her. Not like this! Suddenly a burning hand emerged from within the flames. Shiina sucked in a horrified breath at the sight. The smell of burning flesh was nauseating. That was her dad's hand. It made her stomach twist into an aching knot. She stared at it in horror. Not like- The hand reached for her! Shiina couldn't move, couldn't speak- That was her dad's hand, why- The hand finally reached her and shoved. Shiina didn't scream as it sent her flying backwards. For a moment she felt weightless. Her wide eyes didn't move, she didn't blink. Then she started to fall and the burning house left her view. Instead she was staring up at the endless black starry sky and couldn't formulate a single thought. Her back hit the moist cool grass and Shiina didn't move a muscle. Another loud crash told her that the rest of the roof had collapsed. The acrid smell of smoke and burning wood filled the air. She just saw the stars. Endless numbers, shining cold and unmoving. Uncaring about their fates and eternal. When they started to burn she finally closed her eyes.

"Hey! You, girl! Can you hear me?" An unfamiliar voice bellowed.

It sounded rough and deep. Quick footsteps approached her. Two pairs of feet. A large warm hand grabbed her shoulder and shook. She opened her eyes and blankly looked up into the bearded face of an old man. His hair was greying and so was his beard. Deep wrinkles lined his tan, weatherbeaten face and his dark brown eyes were full of concern.

"Leave her," a younger sounding voice said. "She's a progenitor."

The old man studied her face for a few moments. The girl wondered what was there to see. Come to think of it, why was she lying in the grass?

"Can you tell me your name?" He asked slowly.

"S.. Shiina," she croaked and scrunched her face up in confusion at the way her throat burned.

Everything was so blurry. What was going on?

"The rest of it, girl," he said rather impatiently.

His tone made her feel reprimanded. She furrowed her brows and thought furiously. Who was she?

"Iroi. I think," she replied hesitantly.

"Good good," he said, suddenly sounding satisfied.

Shiina exhaled in relief. The man was clas in a loose beige tunic with big sleeves and loose red pants that made him look like a monk. There was a rustle and then a much younger man appeared at his side. He was dressed similiarly.

"You're not thinking of keeping her?" He asked in disbelief.

"Think of it as an experiment," the old man said.

Shiina had trouble following their conversation as they spoke in a strange accent and her head was fuzzy.

"What?!"

"You heard me. Now get that blade before anyone sees us."

"Yes, master," the younger guy muttered and disappeared from her view.

The old man turned back to stare at her with a grim expression. "We are the descendants of Master Masamune. We've formed a secret order that is sworn to keep an eye on the descendants of his arch-nemesis Muramasa's offspring. Too often have they caused death and destruction with his malevolent blades to be allowed to run rampant across the country. You've seen this today."

"Huh?" She muttered and squinted at him. "What're you talking about?"

"You will join us," he said sternly. "I will train you to the best of my ability and you will become an unparalleled fighter. And when the time comes you will be our greatest weapon. This I offer freely and without conditions. Do you accept?"

"I.. yes?" She said hesitantly.

"Excellent," he said flatly and stood up. "Now stand, Iroi Shiina, and be reborn as a samurai."

Shiina had trouble getting her bearings and slowly climbed to her feet. The world spun around her and she felt a strange sense of vertigo at the sight of the burning house. The young guy returned to them with a wrapped sword in his hands and a serious expression on his face.

"This is the real deal. I can feel its power though the cloth," he said with a grim look.

"All the more reason to keep it hidden."

"What.. what's going on?" She asked weakly.

The old man sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Our late arrival has cost your parents their lives. Allow us to make up for it."

"Huh?" She gasped and felt her eyes water. "My parents are dead?!"

"Yes, child," he replied gravely. "Slain by a ninja from clan Muramasa. We shall repay our debt by taking you in and providing for you."

"I guess," she sobbed and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve.

"You will become a splendid samurai and some day you shall have your revenge. This I vow."

She nodded quickly and stared mournfully at the house. Her parents, dead! Killed by a ninja! The three of them started to walk away and kept going all throughout the night. With every step her sorrow receded. Eventually her tears ran dry and her breath stopped hitching. Shiina kept her eyes on the road and felt unbridled fury rising inside her chest. Ninja were scum! The Muramasa clan was scum! She silently vowed to kill them all. The young girl grit her teeth so hard her jaw hurt and felt steely determination settle into her very bones.


	2. Chapter 2

There were few things more annoying than having sand stuck in her clothes. Shiina let out a frustrated sigh and shook her wooden sandals out before she roughly patted down her teal green pants. Even after passing the tree line a while ago she still felt overheated and sweaty. Suna, she thought grumpily. The worst place on earth. How could any sane person stand living in a freaking desert?! The forest was so much nicer, even though it had mosquitoes. She smacked one that tried to land on her hand and then let out a groan when it got squished there. Gross! High time for a bath, she thought and made a face. Thankfully she knew the forest like the back of her hand by now, so she headed to where she knew was a rather deep river nearby. 

Shiina looked around carefully before she started getting undressed. Her teacher had hammered it home time and time again that she must keep her gender a secret. It was better when people assumed she was a boy, since it meant less danger on solo missions. So she kept her hair cut short and wore her order's traditional loose pants and long sleeved wrap tunic. She folded both items and put them down on top of her sword to hide it. After all the trouble she went through to earn the cursed blade she was more than wary of it being stolen. Now only dressed in a loincloth she stretched and groaned with relief. Then she headed to the riverbank and took the first steps into the pleasantly cool water. It made gooseflesh rise all over her body and she let out a hissing breath as she walked in deeper and deeper until it went up to her neck. Then she ducked underwater and quickly began to scrub the short silver mop. Shiina cut it herself and most of the time without a mirror, so it always looked a little off. 

This was nice, even though the water was so cold. After near two weeks without a bath she felt thoroughly gross. Shiina scrubbed herself down as best as she could and longingly thought of the nice bathrooms in the order's headquarters. When her air was nigh running out she stood up and poked her head through the surface, sucking in a deep breath. And promptly got hit in the forehead by something small and hard.

"Ow!" She yelled and automatically touched her aching forehead. 

Shiina frowned and looked around for her attacker. Then she spotted two boys around her own age by the riverbank. Both of them let out surprised noises when they spotted her. One was a tan kid with brown hair in a bowl cut and the other slightly paler with ridiculous spiky black hair. That guy was obviously the one who threw the rock, since he'd frozen up with his arm still held out. They posed a promblem since her clothes were hidden under a bush near the bowl cut guy.

"Hey! You!" She yelled as authoratively as she could. "You've just assaulted the Prince of the Forest!"

"What!?" The raven haired boy scoffed and lowered his arm. "You gotta be kidding me."

His brows furrowed and it was plain to see that he wasn't buying it. Shiina narrowed her eyes at him and met his onyx ones unflinchingly. 

"Oh yeah? Wanna find out how serious I am? I'm gonna sick my pet tigers on you!"

"Pet tigers?!" The bowl cut guy exclaimed in horror and scrambled to his feet. "Just apologize to him, Madara!"

The raven haired boy threw him a quick look before he turned back to glare at her. "Don't be an idiot, Hashirama. There's no way this guy is for real. Prince of the Forest my ass!"

"Madara..."

"I almost made it skip all the way across!" Madara replied mulishly and crossed his arms. "If it wasn't for that guy I would've made it!"

"Yeah right," bowl cut muttered dubiously. 

"What' that supposed to mean?!" Madara snapped and rounded on him. 

Hashirama quickly raised his hands in a defensive gesture. Shiina blew up her cheeks in frustration. Those idiots needed to go so she could get dressed. Why'd they have to be so stubborn? An idea hit her and she ducked down to hide her grin beneath the water surface. Yeah, that would work. She'd have to thank Aoki later for teaching her this useful trick. Shiina lifted her head and concentrated. There was a certain pitch that, when hit, would garner a response from the giant tigers living in the forest. She raised two fingers to her mouth and let out a shrill whistle that made a nearby flock of birds fly away. Both boys flinched and turned to her in surprise. They paled simultaneously when three deep roars followed her whistle. Shiina smirked. 

"Still think I'm bluffing, huh?" She asked smugly. "You better scram or my pets will eat both of you!"

"Gaaaah!" Hashirama squeaked and bowed deeply. "We're very sorry! Please forgive us!"

"Hmph," Madara huffed, despite the uneasy look on his face. 

"Bow!" Hashirama hissed and pushed on his back with one hand. "Come on!"

"No way!" Madara snapped and raised his chin. "I'm sorry for hitting you, alright?!" 

"What's with that attitude?" Shiina sighed in annoyance. "Bring me a toll and I won't sick my tigers on you."

"A toll?" Madara asked warily. 

"Thank you, your majesty!" Hashirama said hastily and tugged at his friend's sleeve. "Come on, let's hurry!"

"What toll?" Madara asked again as his friend dragged him away. 

Shiina waited until their voices faded before she hurried to wade out of the river. Dammit! Usually she'd lie down on the grass until her skin was dry, but time wasn't a luxury she could afford today. She used her beige tunic to quickly wipe herself down before she put it on, wincing when it stuck to her skin and refused to budge. Wrestling with her pants was also freaking annoying. Finally she picked up her sword and slung the loop that had been fastened to the sheath across her chest. When its weight rested securely on her back again she let out a small huff of relief and looked around. No sign of the two fools. She'd better make her getaway now. The order's headquarters were still half an hour's walk away. At this rate she could make it in time for dinner. Shiina nearly jumped when a bush rustled besides her and the brown haired guy emerged. 

"I... I um, I hope this is acceptable," he said nervously and fiddled with his hands. 

"What is?" She asked impatiently. 

Suddenly he moved his hands in what was definitely a shinobi handsign and Shiina's eyes widened in alarm. No way! How could that scrawny guy be a damn shinobi?! She tensed, but then a flower sprouted from his palm. Shiina blinked. Another flower appeared, then another. They grew and wrapped around each other until a flower wreath had formed. The guy glanced at her and presented it almost shyly. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. She'd never before come across a ninja with that skill. It was kind of cool. Shiina took the wreath from him and inspected it. Red, yellow and white flowers made up most of it. They felt real. She stared at him in disbelief.

"Do you, um, do you like it?" He asked hopefully. 

"Yeah," she replied and put it on her head. "How do I look?"

"Very regal," he said. 

Huh. Weird. It occured to her that the flowers might be poisonous and this could be a sneaky attempt on her life, but she sincerely doubted that was the case. That guy looked way too guileless. Even though he was a shinobi. It was kind of hard to wrap her head around that one. He had to be super useless if his special skill was growing flowers. Shiina let out a long sigh and put a hand around the sash across her chest.

"Very good, you get a pass," she muttered and set her eyes on the road. 

"Wait, where are you going? Madara hasn't presented you with his offering," he called after her. 

"He can get eaten for all I care," she huffed and touched her still smarting forehead. 

"Wait please, your highness!"

Shiina rolled her eyes when she heard him hurry to catch up with her. Hashirama appeared at her right and gave her a sincerely imploring look. 

"I know he can be an ass, but I swear he's a really good person!" He said quickly. 

Shiina stared at him in disbelief. How dumb was this guy? Did he seriously still think she was the Prince of the Forest?! Hashirama seemed to misunderstand her expression since he stepped in front of her.

"Let's just wait for Madara. I'm sure he'll bring you a really amazing tribute!" He said quickly with a nervous smile. 

"If it'll make you happy," she sighed. 

"Thank you!" He said and his smile grew a little more relaxed. 

A rock. Shiina stared down at the raven haired boy's flat palm in disbelief after he returned. He seriously brought her a rock. A plain dark grey-

"Is this a joke?" She asked and looked up at him. 

"No," he scowled and turned the rock around. 

Shiina blinked in surprise. On the underside of the rock there were some sort of white veins in the stone that just so happened to form the kanji for 'luck'. Her eyes widened as she took the stone.

"Hey, that's kind of cool," she muttered as she inspected it more closely. "It says luck! Wow!"

"I told you so!" Hashirama said with a relieved grin. 

"Told him what?" Madara demanded and stared at his friend. 

"That'd you'd bring the Prince an amazing tribute!" Hashirama replied happily before he turned to face her again. "So..?"

"Yeah yeah you get a pass, too," she muttered distractedly and waved a hand at him, still staring at the unusual rock. 

"Thank you," Hashirama sighed. 

"Hm, kay!" She said and closed her fist around the stone before she grinned at the boys. "Enjoy the river, guys."

"Wait, what's your name?" 

Shiina stopped and glanced at the raven haired boy over her shoulder. "Huh? My name? It's Shii...ro."

"What?"

"Shiro," she repeated a bit more firmly after coming up with it on the fly. 

"I see."

Shiina waited briefly, but when nothing else was said she continued on her way. What a pair of losers! They seriously bought such a transparent lie! Shiina grinned down at the rock in her palm and felt mighty lucky indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know if my characterization of Hashirama and Madara is a hit or miss in your opinion!


	3. Chapter 3

Shiina had almost forgotten about the two when she came back after a week long mission and decided to stop by the river for a quick drink. Even before she got close to the water she realized that the two boys were there again, since they were talking to each other. Shiina hesitated, wondering whether she shouldn't pick a different spot. In the end she decided to screw it and went through the underbush to get to the river a few feet down from where they were sitting on the grass. Shiina got down on her knees and cupped her hands underwater. 

"Oh! It's the Prince!" Hashirama called all of a sudden. "I wouldn't drink that if I were you! Madara peed in the river a few minutes ago!"

"What?!" Shiina exclaimed in horror and let the water splash back down into the river. "That's disgusting!" 

"Shut up Hashirama!" Madara yelled furiously. 

Shiina looked over when she heard them start to fight. Both boys were wrestling with each other and rolling around on the grass. She huffed and stood up again. Idiots. Taking care not to step on any flailing limbs she walked around them further up the river where the water was probably still clear. Shiina ignored their grunts and shouts as she got down and rubbed her hands underwater. How could anybody pee in a river?! Her nose scrunched up. Boys were so gross. Once she felt that her hands were clean enough she cupped them again and lifted them to her face to drink. The water tasted sweet and she secretly felt relieved. 

"Are you guys still not done?" She asked after she'd drank her fill and looked down at them from above. 

"I'm not gonna lose!" Hashirama said determinedly. 

"Neither am I!" Madara snapped and tried to pin him. 

"You've been going at it forever," she said and raised a brow. "What's so fun about it?"

"It's not for fun."

"What, then?"

Instead of answering they rolled around suddenly and Madara finally managed to pin the other boy on the ground by his wrists. Hashirama struggled and panted with a frown of concentration. Shiina clapped slowly.

"Congrats, you won," she stated unenthusiastically. 

"Of course I did," the raven haired boy retorted arrogantly and stood up, dusting off his long dark blue tunic. 

"Hmph," Hashirama huffed and wiped at a green grass stain on his beige pants. "Mom's gonna kill me for that."

Madara just snorted and set his onyx gaze on her. "What about you, then?"

"What about me?" She asked warily. 

"What are you waiting around for?" He asked with a speculative glint in his eyes. 

"Whoa hold up!" She said and took a step back when he advanced on her. "I never said I wanted a turn!"

"You may have fooled that idiot Hashirama, but not me!" He said confidently. "You're no prince!"

Shiina rolled her eyes and kept backing up until she hit a tree. "So what?"

"Ha, so you admit it!" 

"Whaaat?" Hashirama exclaimed in dismay. "You tricked us!"

"It's your own fault for falling for such an obvious lie!" She retorted stubbornly. 

"Give back my stone, then!" Madara demanded and stuck out his hand. 

"I don't have it with me," she replied. 

"Bullshit," he said and narrowed his eyes. 

"I don't!"

"Let me check your pockets, then!"

"No!" She snapped and slapped his grabby hand away. "Back off!"

"That's MY lucky stone, damn you!" He shot back with an angry scowl. 

"Not anymore," she replied with a smirk and narrowed her eyes as well. 

"You-!" He hissed and lunged at her.

"Urgh!" She grunted when her back hit the grass. 

She had serious trouble grappling with him and slipping out of his pins. Wrestling wasn't exactly her speciality. Her being the smallest and youngest kid in the order often meant that she drew the short end of the stick when it came to unarmed combat. It seemed like it was the same right now. No matter how she fought and tried, he was still bigger and stronger. It pissed her right off and the wooden hilt of her sword dug painfully into her back as they rolled around. Shiina realized that it was more playful than serious, but she still resented losing. If this was a sword fight her chances would be much better. In the end, he managed to pin her wrists on both sides of her head. She panted from exertion and glared up at the smirking boy, who used his bodyweight to trap her legs. 

"I win!" He crowed gleefully. "That was easy!"

"Shut up!" She hissed and tried rotating her wrists in his grip.

"Don't be a sore loser. Admit it," he said with a grin. 

"Let me up," she demanded instead. 

"No. Say it," he insisted and kept pinning her.

Shiina pressed her lips together and stared him in the eye unflinchingly. Somewhere deep down she realized she was being petty, but right then she didn't care. Surrendering wasn't her style. And besides, she still had her pride! That stubborn ass refused to let go of her and it turned into a battle of wills. Shiina realized they'd entered a staring contest and refused to blink. 

"Uh, guys," Hashirama said hesitantly. "Shiro? Madara?"

"What?" Shiina asked calmly. 

"What are you doing?"

"Proving a point," Madara replied. 

"I see," Hashirama replied curiously. "A staring contest, huh?"

Madara's irises were so dark they almost looked black. It was a curious color she hadn't seen very often in the order. His hair looked odd, too. It stood off in every direction with no rhyme or reason. Like he hadn't brushed it in forever. Suddenly she imagined what it would look like after a good brushing. With the spikes and all, wouldn't it turn.. into.. a giant bush? The mental image made her snort. His expression turned wary. 

"What's so funny?" He snapped. 

Shiina's lips twitched as she tried to contain her giggles. He scowled down at her and tighened his grip on her wrists.

"Are you laughing at me?" He demanded. 

"Mphhh... No," she gasped and bit down on the inside of her cheek. "I was just thinking about your crazy hair."

"My what?" He asked with an offended tone. 

"What it would look like after it was brushed," she clarified with a big grin. 

"Huh," Hashirama said in an intrigued tone. "I've never thought about that. Wouldn't it turn into a giant bush?" 

That did it. Shiina broke out into a fit of giggles that grew into fully blown laughter when Madara's cheeks flushed. Hashirama laughed as well. Her eyes stung and started to tear up and laughing so much distracted her into blinking. As soon as she did he released her wrists and stood up abruptly. Madara crossed his arms and turned away. 

"Weakling," he growled angrily. "What a waste of time."

"Aw, are you pouting?" She asked as she sat up. 

"I'm not!" He snapped and rounded on her. "I just don't like being made fun of!"

Shiina got to her feet and grinned at the angry boy. Hashirama chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Lighten up, Madara. We're not making fun of you."

"Oh yeah?" He asked and turned his scowl on the brown haired boy. "Why were you laughing then?"

"It was just a funny image," she said and lightly patted his other shoulder. "Get that stick out of your ass!"

"I don't have a-!"

"Jeez!" Shiina cut in loudly. "No need to take everything so literally! You won, okay?"

"I did," he replied a little more calmly and eyed her from the side. 

Shiina shot him a grin. "So what else do you guys do for fun?"

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" He asked mulishly. 

"Nope."

"Well, we usually just sit and talk," Hashirama said with a smile. "It's nice and relaxing."

"That's true," she replied with a smile of her own. "Well, I've got a bit of time before I have to go back home."

"You live around here?" 

"Yeah," she replied easily.

To his credit he didn't pry. Shiina gradually relaxed around them as they sat by the riverbank and talked about everything and nothing. Even Madara, who could be prickly at times, was surprisingly good company despite the fact that he didn't talk as much. Both of them had their own visions for the future and the way they spoke about them when the subject came up was inspiring. All she wanted to do by comparison was kill the ninja who murdered her parents. She didn't have a plan for how to proceed afterwards, if she even survived that battle. Hearing Madara and Hashirama talk made her start thinking about it for the first time ever. 

"What about you, Shiro?" Hashirama asked. "What are you going to do when you're a grown up?"

"Hmm," she hummed and drew her knees up to her chest. "I'll probably continue serving my order."

"What order?" Madara asked from her left. 

"I can't talk about it," she replied. "It's a secret. I'm sworn to their service till the day I die."

"Huh."

"Don't try to be purposefully mysterious," Madara snorted. "Tell us."

"We go after criminals," she said slowly. "Ninja scum."

"Ehh?" Hashirama exclaimed in surprise. "You go after ninja?!"

"Criminals," she corrected. "Though most ninja are."

"What makes you say that?" 

Shiina scowled at the water. "A ninja killed my parents. To this day I haven't met a single honorable one and I've met a lot of them."

"Honor means nothing to a corpse," Madara snorted. "Ninja are meant to operate stealthily."

"Tch," she huffed in annoyance. "You're wrong. Honor is everything."

"There are honorable ninja out there," Hashirama said in a placating tone. "We- they're not all bad."

Shiina let out a huff through her nose. "You guys are kinda okay. So far."

"See?" Hashirama said with a small smile. 

"Hn," Madara huffed and looked away. 

Shiina ignored him. For whatever reason he didn't seem to like her very much. It was a little annoying, but Hashirama at least was a nice guy. She smiled at him and shrugged. 

"You don't have to pretend, I realize that you guys are ninja."

"Gah!" 

She chuckled when he hung his head. It was funny how easily he was affected by the slightest discouragement. 

"Don't worry, I don't wanna fight you," she laughed at him. 

"Good. Cause you'd lose," Madara said acidly to her left. 

"Says who?" She asked and raised her brow as she turned to face him.

His brows were furrowed lightly as he stared at her. "You're weak."

"Am not," she rebutted. 

"Yes you are!" He snapped. "You lost so quickly-"

"Because we were wrestling. In a sword fight you'd stand no chance," she said and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hey hey, let's not get fired up," Hashirama said from her right. 

"This guy is delusional," Madara said scornfully. "He seriously thinks he could beat us!"

"Sure do," Shiina grinned. "Are you always so stuck up?"

"I'm not!" Madara exclaimed loudly. 

"Guys," Hashirama winced. 

"He started it!" Madara said furiously and poked her shoulder hard. 

"Ow!" Shiina protested and pushed his finger away. 

"Stop it, Madara. Geez, what's with you today?" 

"Hn!" He huffed and quickly got to his feet. "I don't want to hang out with this loser anymore."

"Fine," Shiina said coldly and stood up as well. "It's time I left anyway."

"Mou...," Hashirama sighed deeply. 

She turned on her heels and stalked away, stewing in annoyance at the raven haired boy's hostile behavior. Why'd he hate her so much?! She hadn't done anything to him!

"Boys suck," she muttered angrily as she made her way back home.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time she met them by the river wasn't any better. It seemed that Madara still had a bone to pick with her and ignored her, while Hashirama tried his best to keep the mood light by making conversation. 

"Hey, let's skip some stones," he proposed and bent down to pick up one of the flat rocks by the riverbank. 

"Huh, I haven't tried that before," she muttered and picked one up as well. 

"It's easy. You just," he said and threw the stone with a flick of his wrist. 

Shiina's mouth parted in surprise when the stone skipped across the water and all the way to the other riverbank. 

"Wow! That's impressive," she said in awe. 

Hashirama grinned proudly and puffed his chest up a little. Madara let out a snort and tossed his stone up and down in his palm. 

"You think that's impressive? Watch this!" He said and quickly tossed his stone. 

It skipped three times before it sunk into the river halfway across. The corners of her mouth twitched while he trembled in rage with his arm still held out. Hashirama let out a good natured chuckle. 

"You'll get there," he laughed. "Some day. Maybe."

"Shut up!" 

Shiina ignored them as she regarded her stone and then the river critically. There had to be a trick to this. Perhaps the angle at which she held the stone? Hashirama made it look so easy. Finally she just tried to flick her wrist and threw. It skipped only once before it sank. Madara laughed loudly at her miserable attempt.

"Wow, you suck!"

"Hey!" She said with a frown. "You don't get to talk."

"Yes I do!" He said triumphantly and put his hands on his hips. "That settles it. You're a loser."

"That's mean," Hashirama said with a small frown. 

Shiina pressed her lips together to hide the way her lower one wobbled and turned her back on them. Then she walked along the riverbank with her hands in her pockets. What a meanie! She couldn't believe that guy. Pouting hard, she decided that she didn't need those guys to have some fun. She went down until the two boys were no longer in sight and decided to do something she'd heard the older guys at the headquarters talk about: crawfishing. She crouched down as close to the water as she could get without disturbing it and peered intently at the clearly visible river ground to see if there were any crawfish amongst the pebbles. Suddenly she spotted movement among the brown rocks. Shiina sucked in a breath when she saw a small brown crawfish. The older boys hadn't said how to catch them. What if it pinched her with its claws? Best to pick it up by its tail. Slowly she reached out and then darted her hand into the water. The crawfish was cold and hard to the touch. She picked it up and watched it wriggle around in amazement. 

"Wooow!" She breathed and watched it click its claws. "Aren't you a big boy?"

Movement in the river caught her attention. The water surface rippled and something dark and ominous moved through the current. Shiina's jaw dropped open when a gargantuan crawfish suddenly emerged from the water. It was the size of a dog and had massive claws. And it was slowly but surely advancing towards her on its little legs. Terror seized her. It was a completely unfamiliar feeling. Shiina started to tremble, frozen at the sight of that behemoth and its claws that looked like they could snap off her arms. Her heart started to pound and she felt cold all over. The tiny crawfish dropped from her hand. 

"Ghh.. GYAAAAAAAHHHHH!" She screamed and lifted her arms in front of her face. 

She couldn't move, she couldn't think straight. The huge creature slowly made its way towards her and she was randomly struck by the realization that this was no ordinary crawfish. It had to be the guardian of the river! She'd angered the gods and was about to pay the price! The bushes rustled and then Madara burst out of them. 

"What's wrong?!" 

Shiina was too terrified to speak. She squeezed her eyes shut and heard him move around her. 

"Damn! That's a huge crawfish!" He exclaimed. "Wait, why is it attacking?"

"I fi-fished one out of the river," she whimpered. "Make it go away!"

"Geez," he muttered in a low voice. 

She opened one eye and watched him grab a stick. He then proceeded to swing it at the crawfish, which stopped moving and raised its claws threateningly. 

"Be careful," she said in alarm and lowered her arms. 

"Yeah yeah," he hissed and held the stick out in front of him. 

She sucked in a sharp breath when the crawfish grabbed the stick with one of its claws and yanked it out of his hands. Shiina bit the inside of her cheek and stood up. She was the one it wanted. Madara was an ass, but he didn't deserve to get hurt because of her. 

"I'm sorry for fishing that crawfish out of the river! She said loudly and bowed deeply. "Very sorry!"

"Idiot, what are you doing?!" He said in alarm.

"I... I...," she stammered as she stared at the giant crawfish in horror. 

It set its beady little eyes on her and Shiina let out a panicked noise. A rock hit it and then another. Madara pelted it with every pebble and stone he could get his hands on. The crawfish hesitated and then slowly began to retreat. It retreated all the way back into the river and only when it wasn't visible anymore did he stop throwing rocks. A shuddring breath escaped her and Shiina felt thoroughly shaken by the encounter. They waited tensely for several long moments, but the creature didn't return. The raven haired boy turned towards her and raised a brow.

"How?" Was all he asked. 

Shiina just stared at him in awe until he began to look mildly uncomfortable. "You saved me!"

"Hn," he huffed and glanced to the side. 

Brilliant relief and gratitude overcame her. This guy, from whom she expected it the least, saved her hide from that monstrosity. Deep down he was a really good guy, Shiina had no more doubts about it. So she approached him and wrapped him up in a big hug. 

"Thank you!" She said happily. 

"What are you doing?" He asked gruffly and grew tense all over. "Get off!"

She let go and beamed at his scowling face and lightly flushed cheeks. "I really like you, Madara!"

"Weirdo," he muttered and rubbed the back of his head without looking at her. 

"Madara? Where are you? I've been hiding forever! Is this a prank?" They heard Hashirama call in an aggrieved tone from further away. 

"Were you playing hide and seek?" She asked curiously. 

"Yeah."

"Where are you? This isn't fun anymore!"

Shiina snickered. "So you just abandoned that guy to come save me?"

"I heard you scream and went to check it out. That guy obviously heard nothing," he huffed. "Be more grateful."

"I really am," she said and grinned hugely at him. "You're really awesome, Madara. I owe you one."

"Hn," he huffed without heat. 

He looked secretly pleased, though, and she noticed that his previous hostility seemed to have all but disappeared. Maybe they'd just gotten off on a wrong start. Shiina was determined to become good friends with him after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Master Eichiiro had drilled hiding her gender into her ever since she joined the order. Shiina liked to think that she was doing a good job at it, too. Not that there was anything to hide, since she was naturally lean to the point where she got teasingly called beanpole. Neither Hashirama nor Madara seemed to realize that she was a girl and although it was odd to be referred to as a boy she didn't correct them. They continued to meet up by the riverbank and have fun together. Shiina had her suspicions about their identities. Even though she belonged to an order that took no part in the ongoing battles and wars, gathering intelligence was a big part of her job.

Ninjas were basically mercenaries for hire. Whenever some nobles had a bone to pick with each other they hired ninja from the big clans to hash out their differences for them. There were two clans of extremely powerful ninja that got hired the most often. Senju and Uchiha. She'd have to be really badly mistaken if those two weren't from those clans. Even a samurai like her, who didn't rely on chakra or inherited abilities, could sense how powerful they were. Shiina kept quiet about that, though. She really appreciated her friends and would hate to lose either of them now that they'd all grown so close. That was why she increasingly started to feel bad about lying to them. 

Around half a year after her thirteenth birthday she began to notice the changes. Shiina saw her hips grow rounder and her chest began to grow small mounds. It was strange and alienating and she had no clue what to do about it. During drills in the training yard she started to be constantly aware of the collar of her tunic, checking several times that it was high enough to hide her chest. For some reason she couldn't quite explain she was desperate to hide it, even though everybody knew she was a girl. It was stressful and she hated it, because it felt like her own body was betraying her. She didn't want to stick out or be treated differently. In her despair she cut up an old tunic into broad strips and tied them snugly around her chest to keep it flat. After being sent out on a longer mission that spanned two months her hair had grown past her ears and tickled her neck, but Shiina didn't feel like cutting it short again. Her sword skills improved drastically along with her physical strenght, but her mood worsened. After yet another sour response her master finally snapped at her to meditate to regain some self-control. She didn't and felt only slightly bad about it. 

Shiina secretly began to long for a life outside the stifling restraints of the order. It had been eight years since her parents died and she hadn't found a single clue that could lead her to their killer. Slowly but surely she was growing frustrated with her lack of progress. Contrary to what her master said, Shiina knew that the higher ups didn't care to help her find the killer. They just sent her on mission after mission and they were watching her. She was used to it by now. Even though she agreed the order's basic tenet that clan Muramasa was dangerous and needed to be kept in check, even though she'd proven herself and her loyalty over and over. Sometimes she felt like they regarded her as just another weapon, same as her blade. Muramasa Senkai was her birthright, a sentinent blade that obeyed her command because she'd proven that she had the strenght and willpower to resist being overtaken by it. It had been in her posession when the master found her.

Shiina still didn't remember her life before that moment. She remembered nothing but her name and the face of that man. Perhaps it would all come back once she found him. It bothered her that she didn't know her past, but other things were starting to occupy her mind. For the first time in her life she began to notice drastic differences between her and the other students, all of whom were boys. For one she was smaller than them. Shiina never won any wrestling matches anymore. They smelled really bad, too. It never bothered her before, but now she couldn't help but notice how they reeked after practice. Then came the periods. It scared the living daylights out of her the first time it happened. Only the fact that the order had a nice elderly lady as a housekeeper saved her. She learned how to deal with that from her, but it was still a problem. 

Shiina drew her knees up to her aching chest and watched the clear water flow by. The quiet splashing and rushing of the water had a soothing effect on her mood. Ever since she woke up that morning she'd been feeling off. Then the drill instructor needled her until she snapped and made her run laps around the headquarters all morning as punishment. That guy had always had it out for her since she was a Muramasa. It had been a real shocker to learn of her origins. When her master finally revealed it to her and the rest of the order she hadn't just been "the girl" anymore, now she was the "Muramasa girl", making her stand apart even more. 

She was constantly aware of the strip of cloth around her chest as it ached and felt like she'd tied it too tightly, but she couldn't very well adjust it right now. Not when she was waiting for her friends to arrive. Hopefully a bit of casual banter and stone skipping would lighten her mood. After some time she heard footsteps on the soft forest floor and then felt the familiar aura of Madara as he approached. There weren't many people who had such a palpable presence. It seemed like his power had grown in leaps and bounds again every time they met. He didn't greet her and just sat down two feet to her left. Shiina looked over and saw a particularly bleak look on his face. He stared at the river and didn't acknowledge her at all. 

"What's wrong?" She asked softly. 

It took a while until he deigned to answer. "My brother Akihiko died in battle today."

Shiina swallowed. "I'm sorry," she replied quietly. 

It was such an empty phrase, she thought sadly. Losing one's family left scars far too deep to be comforted in any way by those words. She would know. Madara didn't acknowledge her words, so he didn't seem to think so either. The bright sunlight shining down on the river grew just a bit duller after the revelation. Still, she thought determinedly. She owed it to her friend to make an effort.

"How old was he?" 

"Eight."

Shiina lowered her gaze to her knees. "So young," she murmured sadly. 

"It's not right," he whispered and clenched his hands in the dark blue fabric of his tunic. 

"No. It isn't," she agreed. "I wish things were different. I wish children didn't have to fight and die in pointless battles."

"Yes," he agreed quietly.

He looked so miserable right then that it made her heart ache for his loss. Madara stood apart, too. She'd noticed it over time since it was hard not to. Even when the three of them were having fun it always felt like a part of him remained hidden and locked away. Hashirama kept his real identity a secret, too, but he was far more open than him. It was most likely a safety measure. Shiina had noticed that whenever the subject of family came up, Madara always got a really noticeably fond look in his eye, even more so than Hashirama. It made her think that maybe he loved his family a whole lot. Which made this situation all the more horrible. She reached over slowly and put her left hand on his lower right arm. When he looked over with a heartbreakingly desolate look in his eyes she squeezed his arm.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured in a low voice. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

He looked like he might be considering it for a moment before he averted his gaze back to the river. 

"It's to be expected," he said stiffly. "We are shinobi, after all."

"You don't have to act tough with me," she said, though she could sense that it was a lost cause. 

After all he was hellishly stubborn. If he didn't want to talk then he simply wouldn't. Thankfully Hashirama arrived before the silence between them could stretch too long. His grin dimmed when he looked between them. 

"Hey guys," he said and sat down on her right. "What's up?"

Shiina rested her chin on her knees and looked at the river. The boys' friendship with each other was different than the friendship between all three of them. It was hard to explain. Maybe it was because she was a girl, but they didn't know that. Deep down it made her jealous. Madara let out a little sigh.

"My brother died in battle," he said once again. 

"Oh. I'm sorry," Hashirama replied with a frown. 

He reacted more composed to the news than she had. Was that it? She wondered. Was she too emotional? For the first time ever she began to wonder if men and women simply had different emotional needs. While her initial urge had been to touch and comfort, Hashirama just offered silent cameraderie. Was that how boys interacted? Shiina only felt confused and alienated. If that was the case then she was probably really shitty at pretending to be a guy. No wonder, since nobody could teach her this stuff. She let out a huff and rubbed her nose. Shiina didn't like being bad at stuff. It made her want to give up this stupid disguise. Given how things were going she wouldn't be able to keep it up much longer anyway. To distract herself from such dangerously foolish thoughts she picked up a pebble and skipped it over the water. There had been plenty of opportunities for practice and it almost reached the other shore. Hashirama chuckled.

"Not bad," he said teasingly. 

"What do you mean, not bad? I almost made it," she shot back. 

"Almost being the key word," he replied and made his stone reach the other shore effortlessly. 

It hit a tree and zinged off into the forest. Shiina rolled her eyes.

"Show off," she huffed and began to search for another flat pebble within reach.

He grinned and leaned back on his hands. Shiina narrowed her eyes at the river and poked her tongue against her cheek in concentration. If she got the angle just right.. Maybe... It skipped six times before it sank. Yeah, nope. 

"What was that supposed to be?" Madara snorted. 

Shiina pouted at him. "Like you can do any better!"

"Hn," he huffed and threw. 

His stone skipped across the water and sank as well before reaching the shore. 

"Ha!" She exclaimed loudly. 

"How can both of you be so terrible at this?" Hashirama laughed. "It's easy!"

"For you maybe!" She retorted. "Stop bragging, bowl cut!"

"Hey, what's wrong with my hair?!"

Shiina gave him a critical once over. "It looks weird. You should grow your hair out."

"What? Why?" He asked with genuine curiosity. 

Shiina shrugged. "I think it would suit you better."

"Huh," he said and touched his hair. 

"You, too," she told Madara, who looked up when she turned to face him. 

He just raised a brow. "If you say so, your majesty," he said sarcastically. "Though if I do it, you have to do it, too."

"Okay, deal," she shot back and lifted her chin at the challenge. 

"Hn," he snorted and looked away.

At least he'd started to look less miserable. Shiina lifted her pinky. "I'm serious."

He stared at her pinky with a small frown before hooking it with his own and giving her a determined stare. 

"Deal," he stated gravely. 

Shiina let out a snort and grinned broadly at him. Always so serious. It was kind of funny. Both Hashirama and her made sure to keep the mood light and cheer him up as much as they could. By the end of the day it looked like they'd succeeded. They parted ways on a good note and most of the desolation had left the pale boy's gaze.


	6. Chapter 6

It all went a bit- no, actually a lot- unplanned. Shiina's target hadn't been as unaware that he was being followed as she thought. In the end she still beat him, but at a cost. She sustained a deep cut running diagonally across her back and a vertical gash across her left upper arm. It was pure luck that there was no muscle damage. The healer said it'd been a close call. Just a hair's width deeper and she might not have been able to move her arm for weeks. As such, Shiina was on the recieving end of a stern lecture by her master as soon as she'd come out of the infirmary and delivered her report. It put her in a foul mood for the rest of the day. 

To distract herself she ended up taking a long walk that led her down to the river. Her steps slowed when she heard the voices of her friends. Shiina hesitated, wondering if she really wanted the company right then. Her friends didn't deserve to bear the brunt of her temper. Then again she really craved some friendly company, as she'd been getting less and less of that in the order lately. It seemed the older she got, the harder it became for her to blend in among the other acolytes. And not just because she stopped cropping her hair short. More than ever she'd begun to question her choices. Shiina just wanted to take her mind off of those bleak thoughts, so she slowly made her way towards the voices. 

"Hi guys," she said as she approached the talking boys. 

"Oh, hi Shiro," Hashirama said in a friendly manner. 

Madara just glanced over casually. Shiina purposefully ignored how his eyes lingered on her arm as she went over and sat down on his left. 

"How are you?" Hashirama said, leaning past Madara with a grin.

"Eh," she huffed and rubbed the back of her head. "Could be better."

"What's with your arm?" Madara inquired. 

"Mission gone sour," she replied with a grimace. 

"Too bad," he said and glanced at the river. 

"Yeah."

"Who was the target?" Hashirama asked curiously. "Was he strong?"

Shiina thought about it and felt pretty stupid when she realized that no, he hadn't been that strong. 

"Just clever and aware of his surroundings," she replied slowly. "That can make up for a lack of strenght."

"No way," Madara snorted. 

"Yes way. Even you could be taken down if you're ambushed," she said and poked his arm. 

"Again. No way," he replied and gave her an amused look. "No amount of awareness can replace real power."

"Hn," she snorted and pulled a small stone from the ground. "You're too pigheaded. If you keep that up you'll never find a wife."

"What?!"

Her lips twitched at the way his voice broke and turned it into a high pitched squeak. Hashirama laughed loudly and slapped his thigh.

"That's exactly what I've been saying!"

"Shut up, idiot!" Madara hissed at him before he glared at her. "I don't need or want a wife anyway!"

"Really?" She asked and raised a brow at him. "Why's that?"

Shiina noted with interest that his cheeks flushed. Madara was clearly embarrassed by this line of questioning and that was a highly amusing turn of events. Hashirama never failed to miss a chance to tease him, so he quickly picked up on it as well. 

"Yeah, why is that, Madara?" He asked in a smarmy tone. 

Madara just tensed and furrowed his brows, glaring alternatingly at both of them. Shiina grinned and skipped her stone, noting with some disappointment that it got real close to the shore before it sank. 

"You don't like girls, is that it?" Hashirama asked. 

"Shut up already!" Madara demanded loudly. 

"It's okay you know? You can tell us," she added with a small grin. 

The spikes of his hair trembled with fury and his blush grew darker. It was kind of funny. Shiina gave him a lopsided grin and lifted her index finger in front of her mouth. 

"It's okay! I won't tell!" She said teasingly. 

"Tch, damn you both!" He hissed and quickly got to his feet. "Girls are weak and useless! Like I'd want to be stuck with that kind of burden!"

Shiina's smile dimmed very slightly. Was that really how he thought?! That was kind of discouraging. And stupid. Her brows furrowed.

"Not all girls are weak, you know?" She said with a small frown. "There are some strong ones around."

"I sincerely doubt it," he snorted disparagingly and left. 

Hashirama raised a brow at her with a helpless shrug. "Guess it's a sensitive topic."

"Geez, what's with him?" She sighed and scratched her cheek with her right hand. "Could it be he really doesn't like girls?"

"I don't know. Maybe. Doesn't matter. With that attitude he'll stay single forever," Hashirama said with a quiet snort. 

Shiina silently watched the river for a few beats. "Nah, I don't..."

"Hm?"

Shiina raised one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. Thinking about this stuff was still pretty new to her, but the idea of Madara being unable to find a partner struck her as unlikely. 

"He's a good guy," she stated lightly. "Bit stubborn, but good. Cares a lot about family."

"Yeah, I guess."

"So I don't think he'll stay alone. Unless he wants to."

"You're pretty optimistic, huh?" Hashirama said with a small grin. 

Shiina rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

Love and romance weren't subjects she liked to think, much less talk, about. While her order didn't strictly forbid these things she didn't think any of her fellow members were involved with anybody. Their primary focus should be training. Yet lately she'd caught herself thinking about it from time to time. It always left a weird taste in her mouth and she tried to push these things to the back of her mind. Shiina simply didn't know what she wanted. Not yet at any rate.


	7. Chapter 7

As summer progressed the temperatures just kept climbing. Shiina's fourteenth birthday came and went and the girl started having serious trouble hiding her feminine features. Her hair reached past her shoulders now and her voice stayed high, unlike those of the boys she trained with. While her clothes hid much, she started having trouble keeping her chest flat. If she tied the strips of cloth too tightly it hurt, but if she didn't her breasts were noticeable through the cloth of her tunic. The sweltering heat blanketed the headquarters and made everybody lethargic. At least it seemed that the Muramasa clan was affected similiarly, since there were no reports of suspicious activites anywhere. Shiina used this newfound freetime for leisurely strolls through the forest, as it was the only place one could go without sweating profusely. It was still hot in the shade below the trees, though. To cool down she decided to roll up the hems of her pants over her knees and wade into the river barefooted. The water was blessedly cool on her sweaty skin and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Hi Shiro!" She heard Hashirama call as he approached. "Cooling off, huh?"

"Yeah, it's damn hot today," she replied and looked over. 

Hashirama seemed to have hit a growth spurt in the month since she last saw him. His shoulders had grown wider, too, which made him look oddly lanky. He sat down with his back against a tree trunk and let out a loud sigh.

"I've been sweating like a mule all day," he complained as he picked up a stone. 

"You've been busy, huh? Poor you. Just can't get a break," she said teasingly.

He huffed and made a stone skip past her. "You'd better watch out that you don't get fat with all the free time you have!"

"Ha ha," she replied sarcastically. 

"But seriously, are you eating enough? You're tiny and your voice is still so high."

"Yeah," she replied slowly and turned her back on him, kicking her feet through the water to hide her sudden discomfort. 

She realized of course that it was getting really hard to pass as a boy these days. It made her nervous to think about how they would react once they realized she'd been lying to them all along. As she watched the sunlight sparkle on the water she felt another familiar presence approach. 

"Hi," she heard Hashirama say. "Wow, how are you not sweating to death in those dark clothes?"

"I happen to have some self-control," he replied in an obstinate tone. 

"Self-control? So you can will yourself not to sweat?" Hashirama asked with a laugh. "Amazing."

A grin grew on her face and she spun around abruptly and kicked water at them both. Both of them let out protesting shouts and scrambled away from the splash. 

"So you can cool down," she giggled and stuck her tongue out at them.

"Ugh!" Madara exclaimed in disgust and wiped at his dark purple tunic. 

"Haha, what's with that face?" She laughed when he glared at her.

Shiina grinned and squinted through the sunlight when it hit her face. That guy was way too stuffy and uptight all the time. It was funny to her. Hashirama started taking off his sandals with a grin of his own. 

"You know, I think you're onto something!" He said and walked into the water as well. 

"See?" She said with a wise nod and glanced at Madara, who was still staring with his unreadable dark gaze. "Come on, join us!"

"No thanks," he muttered and crossed his arms while leaning his back against a tree trunk. 

"Suit yourself," she shrugged and rolled her pants up a little higher to go deeper into the water. 

"Aaah, what a relief," Hashirama sighed and wriggled his toes in the water. "Good call, Shiro."

"Yeah, right?" She said and threw him a quick grin. 

"If only I had more time I'd go for a swim," he sighed and looked longingly at the river. 

"Oh? Got somewhere to be?"

"Yes," he replied with a small grimace. "Family business."

"That's tough," she said with sympathy. "In this heat, too."

"Yeah."

"How come you have so much free time?" Madara asked from his spot under the tree. 

"Nobody wants to commit crimes in this heat," she told him with a lopsided smile and shrugged. "Come on. It's really nice in the water!"

"I said no," he replied mulishly. 

Shiina rolled her eyes and waded out of the river. He eyed her warily as she approached him with a carefully neutral face. Shiina stopped in front of him and touched his bare ankle with her cool toes. His eyebrows twitched as he stared up at her. 

"See how nice the water is?" She asked lightly. 

Weirdly enough, he didn't respond to that. He just kept staring until the silence grew awkward. Shiina averted her gaze and sat down cross legged on the grass besides him. Lately he'd been doing that a lot. The staring. She never knew how to interpret it anymore. An uncomfortable thought hit her. Had he figured it out yet? She chewed on her lower lip nervously and didn't dare to look to her right. It was annoying. They were all friends here, right? So what was with this stupid nervousness? 

"Shiro," he said after a while.

"Hm?" She hummed. 

When no reply came she chanced a look at him. Madara looked oddly conflicted, but his expression smoothed over as soon as he noticed her looking. When she raised a brow he averted his gaze.

"Forget it," he muttered. 

Shiina tilted her head to the side curiously. What was up with him? Why was he acting so weird? Thankfully Hashirama chose that moment to come out of the river. He stretched his arms over his head and let out a yawn.

"Man, this heat is making me tired," he complained. 

"So take a nap."

"Can't. I gotta get going now," he replied with a regretful sigh and slipped into his sandals. 

"Already? That sucks."

"Yeah. It is what it is, I guess," he said and glanced at Madara. "Have fun you guys."

"See you around," Shiina replied with a small smile. 

"Bye," the raven haired boy replied plainly. 

Shiina glanced at him. His expression was once again unreadable as he watched Hashirama walk away. For some reason she thought that it wasn't a very friendly look. She had enough of this weirdness by now and shifted closer until they were sitting barely a handspan apart. 

"Alright, spill," she demanded flatly. 

"Spill what?"

"What's with you today? Your mood is...," she trailed off and lifted a shoulder. 

"Ah," he replied quietly. 

Shiina waited and tried to be patient with him, but his odd behavior was making her worry. And when she got worried about somebody she got impatient to get to the bottom of the issue. She watched him stare at the river from the corner of her eye and noticed that his wild hair reached past his shoulderblades already. 

"I lost two of my brothers yesterday," he said quietly. 

Shiina inhaled sharply. Two at once! "What happened?!"

"One was killed in battle. The other sustained an injury a while ago that got infected. Yesterday he succumbed to his fever. Maybe it's because they were twins. Who knows."

"Oh," she murmured quietly.

Shiina looked at the side of his face. His eyes were dark with grief and the corners of his mouth downturned. He pulled one knee up and rested his arm on it in what would usually be a casual position, but she noticed just how tense he was all over. She let out a long sigh and leaned against his side, which confirmed it. 

"I'm sorry. For teasing you earlier, too."

"You didn't know."

"No, but still," she muttered.

It was quiet for a while, but his tension didn't lessen in any way. That was probably a bad sign. So Shiina put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, if you wanna cry that's okay."

"Don't be absurd," he snapped immediately.

"I won't tell," she insisted. "Especially not Hashirama."

"I don't-," he hissed, but his voice broke and he cut himself off. 

Alright, that was it. She'd just about had enough of his stubborness. Shiina got up on her knees, shifted around and sat down on his lap. Madara stared at her with a stunned expression. 

"Shi- Shiro?" He croaked. 

Shiina frowned at him and pulled her lower lip up. "It's okay," she stressed pointedly and leaned in. 

His breath hitched when she wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her chin on his right shoulder. With one hand she started to rub soothing circles on his back while she mentally yelled at herself to relax until her body listened. She wasn't good at comforting people with words. Shiina was so wholly focussed on remaining relaxed herself that she didn't notice that the tension had started to ebb out of him until she heard a sharp inhale. His shoulders were trembling. Her eyes widened a little when she felt a growing wet spot on her right shoulder. Was he actually..? But he was being so quiet. Not making a sound. For some reason it made her unbelievably sad. How often had he been forced to bottle up his feelings and act tough? It was miserable. Shinobi, samurai, the endless fighting that turned children into soldiers. If only... if only the world could be at peace. She tightened her embrace and let herself sink against him a little more, resting her head against his. It was blastedly hot and the cicadas were screaming in the forest, but moving was the furthest thing from her mind. This was too important. Once he let it all out and the trembling stopped Shiina swallowed hard and panicked a little, wondering how to proceed. In the end she simply pulled back and sat back down at his side without looking at him. 

"Thank you," he murmured.

Shiina nodded wordlessly and they sat there together in comfortable silence until it started getting dark.


	8. Chapter 8

It wasn't an one time occurrence. Every time they met up, which only happened monthly anymore since she got sent on longer and longer missions, Shiina felt oddly on edge around him. Like Hashirama he was growing in leaps and bounds. Both boys were already taller than her and building up muscle. Shiina was relatively sure that Hashirama at least seemed to realize what was up. If not he was definitely getting there, going by his curious looks. She sensed an odd tension, or perhaps a rift growing between the boys. It hadn't escaped her that neither of them spoke of their families in great detail and they never mentioned their last names. She began to suspect that therein laid the problem. The two clans had a feud, since so many of their family members got killed by each other. Watching them argue a lot more often lately worried her. She valued her friendship with both of them equally, but more and more she found her eyes drawn to the raven haired boy. He'd become a lot more moody and often spend their time together brooding without saying a word while she and Hashirama chatted happily. 

"Ohhh no!" She sighed when her stone sunk one foot before the other riverbank. 

Hashirama chuckled. "So much practice and yet."

"Shut up, you!" She said and pinched his side. 

"Whoa, hey! Ow!" He complained and rubbed his left side with a betrayed look. 

Shiina rolled her eyes and grinned. She glanced to her left, where Madara sat with his arms crossed and his usual slightly dismayed expression. He glanced at her briefly before his gaze returned to the river. A quiet sigh escaped her, which turned into a squeak when Hashirama retaliated and pinched her right flank. 

"Ow!" She yelled and slapped his hand away. 

"Payback," he retorted with a grin. 

Shiina leaned away from him until she accidentally bumped into Madara's side. "Say something!" She demanded with a playful grin. 

He lifted a brow at her. "You're acting like a girl. Tell him off yourself."

Shiina frowned and leaned away from him, feeling more than a little embarrassed and stupid. Of course. Right. He didn't know... Maybe she should take it as a pointer on behavior, but Shiina was truly getting sick of hiding who and what she was. She scratched her head and glanced at Hashirama, who looked absolutely amused by the exchange. Shiina warily noticed the mischievous gleam that entered his dark brow eyes. 

"Since you can't get it right yourself, let me help you."

"Oh. Sure," she replied slowly. 

"Come here," he said and made a beckoning motion with his hand. 

Curiously she shifted closer and blinked in surprise when he shifted behind her and took her right hand. Shiina tensed in surprise and stared, because his hand was much bigger and stronger looking. It covered her hand easily and she belatedtly noticed that he was moving it down like she was some sort of puppet. He made her pick up a stone and then adjusted his grip. 

"So you hold it at this angle," he said casually. 

"I've been doing that..."

"And then you move your wrist like this, with this kind of speed, and then you-," he said and made her throw the stone.

Shiina watched it skip in amazement. All the way across the river and into the mud of the other riverbank. 

"Whoa," she exclaimed. "I actually made it this time! How..?!"

"It's all in the angle and throwing speed," Hashirama replied smugly and finally let go. 

Shiina started to grin and turned to face him. "You're a genius, Hashi!"

A loud snort made her blink and glance at Madara, who wore a startlingly scornful look on his face when he glared at them. 

"What's with the pet name?" 

"What about it?" She asked back and raised a brow. 

"It's silly," he huffed and pointedly looked away. 

If she didn't know better she'd say he seemed angry. Why, that was the big question. Even Hashirama looked surprised by his biting comments.

"What's with you today?" She demanded with a frown. "You're in such a pissy mood. It's annoying."

"You know what else is annoying?" He asked scathingly and glared at her. "Being ignored."

"What?!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "You weren't saying anything! I'm not a mind reader!"

"No, I guess not."

"Ugh!" She huffed and threw her hands into the air. "Fine, suit yourself!" 

"Calm down, guys," Hashirama interjected soothingly. "It's obviously a misunderstanding."

"I'm going home," Shiina announced and stood up. 

"Shiro, wait," Hashirama said quickly and stood up as well. 

"Yeah, run after him," Madara said mockingly.

Shiina pressed her lips together as she stalked away and tried hard to fight the way her eyes stung. Why'd his shitty mood have to affect her so much? What was going on here? It was like every single thing he did and said registered with her, especially his bad moods. Why couldn't he talk about what troubled him like a normal person? Madara was such a headcase sometimes! 

"Shiro," Hashirama called before he caught up with her. "Hey man, don't mind him. He's just in a bad mood."

"Well yeah. So am I now," she retorted. 

"Understandable," he sighed.

She slowed her pace and they simply walked side by side down the forest trail that led to the headquarters. Shiina bit her lower lip. Technically she wasn't supposed to bring anyone there, but then again the security was lax and it wasn't exactly well hidden. In her opinion they'd grown overconfident about not being attacked, but that was none of her business. Shiina had grown apart from the order and there was less and less that kept her there. Her master most likely noticed, but he wasn't doing anything about it. Hashirama eyed her from the side. 

"You're taking this pretty hard, huh?" 

"I guess," she muttered with a shrug. 

"So," he said slowly. 

Shiina slowed down even more and suddenly felt overcome with nervousness. Something about his tone made her wary. She stuffed her hands into her pockets and waited. Hashirama scratched his chin and shot her a casual glance. 

"You're so lucky you're not growing a beard," he said with a half smile. "It's itchy."

"That so," she replied casually. 

"Yeah."

She straightened in surprise when he suddenly put an arm around her shoulders. Right, she thought and exhaled slowly. This was still Hashirama. One of her two best friends in the whole world and somebody she felt totally comfortable with. He wouldn't shun her if he knew. He was far too good for that. 

"Uh, Hashi....," she started slowly and stared at the dirt path before them. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course."

"Actually.. I'm, uh. I don't know if you... If you've noticed, but..," she muttered and mentally cursed herself for being such a coward. "I'm actually... a girl."

"Huh? Oh, I know," he replied. 

Shiina's head jerked up and she stared at him in surprise. "You do?! Since when?"

He gave her a slightly patronizing look and smiled. "It's hard to miss. First time was when I saw your legs."

"What?" She burst out laughing and Hashirama's cheeks flushed pink.

"Hey no! That's not how I meant it!"

"Hahah, sure!"

"No, but actually they reminded me of my mother's legs."

Shiina's eyes widened before she started laughing even harder. "You- what?! Oh!"

"Argh!" He groaned and hung his head with his face burning red. "Dammit! That's not.."

"Oh kami, this is priceless," she giggled. 

An aura of gloom began to surround him and Shiina couldn't help but grin. 

"Considering how tiny you are and all, it's an easy conclusion," he said gloomily. 

"Stop picking on my size," she huffed and crossed her arms. "Just because you're freakishly tall!"

"It's not freaky, it's normal for a guy."

"Yeah right, you overgrown bamboo sprout."

"Hey..."

Shiina exhaled slowly and let her arms drop with an unhappy expression. "Do you think Madara knows?"

"That guy? No, he's as dense as a brick when it comes to these things," Hashirama replied flatly.

"What things?" She asked hesitantly.

Hashirama just grinned in amusement for reasons that eluded her. "He's also really stubborn. Once he's decided that something is true nobody can convince him otherwise."

"Oh."

"You'd have to show him proof for him to believe you. You know, if you want to tell him."

"What?" She squeaked and felt heat shoot into her cheeks as she glared at Hashirama. "What's that supposed to mean? You perv!"

He just raised a brow. For some reason it increased her embarrassment and she looked away with a pout. Hell no! She wasn't going to show anything to anybody! What a perverted idea. The headquarter's gates came up and Shiina slowed down. As usual they weren't being guarded. The dark green shingles over the arch gleamed in the sun and on each pillar were painted the kanji for "Masamune". Hashirama looked at them in interest.

"Masamune? I've heard that name before," he said. 

"Yeaaah. And this is where I'll have to ask you to leave," she said. "Outsiders aren't allowed in."

"I see," he replied with a curious look. "You guys are samurai, right?"

"You know that already," she retorted and raised a brow. 

"Yeah," he shrugged. "I just didn't think... It's a big clan, isn't it?"

"I guess."

"Cool. Guess I'll see you around then."

"Take care, Hashi," she sighed and gave him a small smile. 

"Yeah. Hey... Shiro.. Are you gonna tell me your real name?" 

"It's Shiina."

"Ah?" He perked up. "So not a creative alias."

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying!" He laughed and patted her on the back. 

"I came up with it on the fly," she shrugged with a grin, feeling oddly relieved. 

"I'm glad you shared this with me."

"Don't," she began and trailed off before she furrowed her brows. "Don't tell him. I want to do that myself."

"Of course. I can keep a secret, you know!" He smiled. 

"Yeah," she replied with relief and smiled back. "You're a good friend, Hashirama."

He inclined his head with a happy expression before he took a step back and waved at her. "See you around, Shiina!"

"Bye," she muttered and set her eyes on the gate.


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you understand what is required of you?" Master Edogawa asked with a scrutinizing stare. 

"Yes," she replied and inclined her head. 

"Then you and your party will head out immediately to seek out Lord Fumigawa in his estate. He will have further instructions for you."

"Yes master," Shiina replied dutifully and stood up.

Behind her, the two guys who were part of her unit followed her example and stood up as well. Ishizu and Hansuke were older than her and had already been branded. They bore the aquamarine blue sigil of obedience on their right cheeks, which was a long stripe that veered to the right at it's tip with three small dots along the straight shaft. Besides the curved line was a straight one and both of them were connected by a horizontal line across the tops. It was a clear sign that they'd dedicated their lives to the order and lived by its decrees, given to members after they turned eighteen. 

Both of them were excellent and experienced samurai who had earned blades from the order's treasury. Meaning powerful named swords that had been captured from conquered members of clan Muramasa and brought back to the headquarters. Only the best of the best were allowed to wield them as her master claimed those powerful blades had wills of their own and required discipline and mental strenght of their bearers. As far as she could tell, they weren't as strong as hers. A sword that had been given Muramasa's own name was considered an extremely powerful masterpiece. Shiina had been told that her being from Muramasa's bloodline gave her an advantage as somebody who wasn't from that family would have serious trouble wielding that sword. 

At either rate, the three of them left the master's office silently. There was no need for idle chatter when their instructions were clear. Shiina carried the scroll with their mission details, going over it one more time before she slipped it into a hidden holder inside her tunic's long sleeves. As the team leader, she bore the sole responsibility for the mission's success and her comrades' lives. Lately she'd been tasked with leading squads a lot. It made her suspect her master had some ulterior motives. The pressure was always there, but she did her best to push it to the back of her brain. Together they left the compound and headed into the forest. Admittedly it was rather nice to have someone watching her back for once. Still, she couldn't afford to let her guard down. 

Lord Fumigawa was apparently an ambitious local noble who was a bit paranoid. He reached out to the order with the promise of a hefty amount of gold if they sent someone over to protect him. Shiina didn't know why they took the job in the first place. They weren't mercenaries for hire last time she checked. This mission had nothing to do with finding a Muramasa, so it was a total waste of time in her opinion. Was it really the gold that swayed the elders? And if so, it was a development that left a bad taste in her mouth. They made good time and reached the noble's estate before nightfall. The heavily armed guards intercepted them in front of the main entrance. 

"Hold. We are the samurai of clan Masamune that your master requested," she stated in a stern voice.

"You?" One of the guards asked as he looked them over. "They sent only three of you?"

"I assure you, we are more than enough," she replied calmly. 

"Whatever you say, boy," the guard snorted before he nodded at his fellow men. 

They parted to let them through and into a very lavish garden, complete with a small pond full of koi fish. Behind the meticulously trimmed bushed laid the main mansion. Shiina followed the gravel path that led up to the building with her head held high. Inside was just more pomp and glamour in the form of expensive cloths and golden adornments alonng the tops of the walls. A maid stepped forward and bowed deeply. 

"Welcome, welcome. I am Mizuki, maid to lord Fumigawa. Allow me to escort you to him."

"Thank you."

The man himself was seated on the tatami mat covered floor of an almost oppresively embellished room. A low table stood in front of him and he was apparently nursing a small flat cup of sake. Shiina took one look at him and instantly disliked the man. He had narrow beady eyes and a broad fox-like grin that widened when they entered. 

"Ahh, the delegation from clan Masamune, I presume?" He said and lifted his cup to toast them. "Welcome to my humble estate. Please take a seat."

"Greetings, lord Fumigawa," she said as she sat down on her calves. "I am Shiro, captain of this squad. You requested aid from our order. Why?"

"Ah, yes," he said and eyed her carefully. "I find myself in great need of competent, experienced warriors. You see, I have been expanding my territory as of late. Not all of my neighbours appreciated it. Tea?"

"Thank you," she replied politely. 

Fumigawa gestured at the maid, who bowed and quickly left the room. Kind of telling that he wasn't offering them sake. 

"So as I've been saying, my neighbours are currently not very happy with me. As of late, I have reson to suspect that they might plan on retaliating against me."

"How?" Shiina asked politely. 

"Well, let's just say I have my sources," he replied with a grin. "Trustworthy sources. These sources tell me that my nearest neighbour, lord Akehiko from the east, is trying to make contact with a dangerous group of individuals to have me assassinated."

"I see. Shinobi, correct?"

"Precisely. You are very perceptive," he said with approval. "So what I intend to do is to strike before he can. You must understand that none of this arrangement can become public. My hands must remain absolutely clean, do you understand?"

"I do."

"So that is why," he said and reached behind him, pulling over a small bag. "I must ask you to wear these masks."

"Ah?" She asked curiously as he withdrew white wooden masks shaved vaguely like owl faces, attached to a grey hood to hide the rest of their heads.

"I had quite a few more made," he said and glanced at the three of them. "Please wear them for the duration of your mission. Nobody can know who you are or who hired you."

"I understand," Shiina replied politely and accepted the masks, though she didn't feel particularly at ease with the idea of wearing something that obscured her vision. 

Her companions accepted their masks with matching blank looks. Lord Fumigawa looked pleased after they put them on. 

"Tell us more about these shinobi that were hired," she prompted.

"Hm?" He hummed and glanced up from his sake cup. "Oh, yes. They will undoubtedly be approaching the estate from the north, where the woods are thick and the view is limited. I assume you've fought shinobi before, so you know what to expect."

"You mentioned they were powerful?"

"Yes, but so are you. Or so I've heard," he countered with a smarmy smile.

"Indeed," she replied cooly. 

"Do not worry about them, I'm sure they're far inferior to the fabled samurai of clan Masamune."

Shiina was suddenly glad for the mask, since it hid her scowl. Now this asshole had the nerve to mock them?! This mission was getting worse and worse. Fumigawa took a gulp of sake with a self-satisfied grin. She was eager to get this over with and shifted on her knees.

"Very well. If that is all?" She asked pointedly. 

"It is, it is. Remember, I cannot be involved with this operation in any way so keep the masks on."

"We will."

"Good, then. I expect speedy results," he said and waved at them dismissively. 

Shiina rose along with her comrades and bowed curtly. As the maid returned with a tray of tea and cups in her hands the three of them left the meeting room. The whole mansion gave her bad vibes. It was too elaborate and lifeless. Just how did that man earn his money? And what was that about expanding his territory? It stank. The whole mission stank. She decided to be extra vigilant for the time being. As the squad leader she wasn't just responsible for the guys' lives, but also for their morale. That was why she chose to keep her suspicions quiet for now. They were way older than her as well and she didn't want to come across as a scaredy cat on top of being a pariah because of her heritage. 

The forest was dark and dense in these parts, with canopies that shut out any light and strange birdcalls from deep within the wilderness. They advanced slowly and in formation without the need for discussion, as that had been long since drilled into them during training. Shiina wondered quietly why this particular piece of dark forest was so important to the guy. As far as she could tell there was nothing of value to be found. There were no game trails at all. The trees were massive and surely difficult to chop for lumber. As her wariness increased, Shiina concentrated and reached out with her senses. It was, along with meditation, part of their spiritual training. Samurai did not use their chakra like ninja did. Their arts weren't as flashy, but just as effective. She stretched her senses as far as she could to analyze the surrounding forest. Every little life registered in her mind like a small dot of light, from the smallest bird to the largest boar a few miles away. Since she couldn't close her eyes her detection radius was somewhat limited. So far so good. 

"No humans nearby," she commented neutrally. "Remain on alert anyway."

"Yes sir," they replied at once. 

While this way of scouting the area was effective, it wasn't without its flaws. Skilled ninja and samurai could mask their chakra signature to blend in with the surroundings, making it hard to pick them out among the thousands of weaker lives around them. 

"Clearing coming up," Ishizu said. 

"Two deer and a rabbit," Hansuke added after a brief pause. 

Shiina nodded and focused her attention ahead. From an early age on her master told her to trust her senses. Her gut told her that trouble was brewing for them. 

"Be ready for anything," she stated quietly as the trees grew somewhat thinner.

Ahead of them she saw the clearing he mentioned. It was large and less dark than the forest, but still not sunlit. The tall grass was blowing softly in the cool breeze. The perfect place for an ambush. Enemy ninja, Fumigawa had said. Refused to give them details. It was highly suspicious and made her skin crawl with nervous energy. 

"We go in in five," she said calmly as they approached the clearing. "Four. Three. Two. One. Go!"

As one, the trio marched onto the clearing. Shiina's gut had been right. All hell broke loose as several figures in dark clothes covered with red armor plates burst forth from the trees where they'd been hiding. Without a word they turned their backs on each other in standart triangle formation and drew their blades. She felt a rush of adrenaline and Senkai's own energy surge along her veins. The blade glinted malevolently in the light and in her brain she heard an eager hum. Without wasting a single second they were beset by a flood of shuriken and kunai as the ninjas sped towards them. Shiina grit her teeth, sharpened her focus and blocked every single one, making them zing off her blade. The force behind each throw was alarming. Those people were not ordinary ninja scum. And, she realized when the first one charged at her, they too wore masks. Black and shaped like raven's heads, complete with beaks. She parried a sword strike easily and then let calm battle focus drown out her thoughts. Senkai reacted beautifully and added to her own strenght. It was always the same. The blade gave her strenght and focus, but also bloodlust. It wasn't a problem until it got too strong.

That guy wanted to break her out of formation. She realized as much as he attacked from various angles with lightfooted ease. Additionally it almost seemed like he could read her movements and parried her strikes with his inferior blade. It angered Senkai and in turn made rage surge through her system, which forced Shiina to divert some of her focus on keeping it under control. There were five of those guys. All of them had really powerful chakra systems. How could they have hidden them so well? Shiina grit her teeth and focused back on attempting to slice that guy's limbs off one by one. Going by the sounds, her comrades were holding up well. It was to be expected from elite samurai of clan Masamune. They were no easy prey. Shiina furrowed her brows. This endless back and forth was getting tedious. She really hated having to resort to the hidden samurai arts, but fighting at a stalemate wasn't fun either. 

"Engage in formation Loose Star," she bellowed. 

On her command the formation split up, thus giving her more room to maneuver. Then she made the mistake of looking at the guy's eyes that were hidden behind the raven mask. A weird sensation swept over her and Shiina knew immediately that it was a dojutsu. Part of a samurai's training was breaking all sorts of mind control, especially in the form of ninja tricks. Some of the crafty bastards had something called a "Dojutsu", which meant inherited special eye jutsu that could spell trouble if they weren't careful. So she did as she'd been taught and closed her eyes, opening all her other senses instead. The thorny vines that had seemingly wrapped around her wrists were clearly an illusion. 

"Fight honorably, coward!" She bellowed and charged.

The damn bastard was good, she had to hand him that. They were evenly matched so far, but Shiina had fought ninja before. She knew what was coming after he got done gauging her physical skills. And yes, just as expected the damn acrobatics started. He started using his blade sparingly and gradually began to use more hand to hand techniques on the side to wear her focus down. Shiina was prepared for this. He must have realized it as well, since he then went on to employ ninjutsu. Like a total coward. Shiina really hated when they did that. He jumped back on a thick tree branch, made a handsign and suddenly breathed out a huge ball of roaring fire heading straight her way. 

"Spirit Shell!" She yelled and raised her blade in front of her.

Her comrades appeared at her sides, looking only mildly worn, and raised their blades as well. A light blue shell of energy formed around them and created a barrier against the onslaught of flames. It was hard to see through the orange blaze. Shiina's stomach turned at the sight, since it reminded her of very unpleasant memories. The intense discomfort she felt made her even angrier at the sorry bastard. 

"Orders, captain?" Hansuke asked calmly from her left. 

"We fight together as usual. Take the bastards down," she growled. 

"Understood."

Once the flames dissipated they jumped apart and went back to fighting their respective enemies. It was weird that her comrades had to fight off two enemies each, but only one of them fought her. As if they knew she was the captain and pitted their best guy against her. As if they were much better informed than them. Shiina looked up and narrowed her eyes when the bastard jumped out of the tree and came flying at her with what looked like a large gourd shaped fan. She raised her weapon in front of her with both hands on the pommel and waited. Unlike ninja, samurai were taught not to move around too much. It was better to let the enemy exhaust themselves while fighting them in passive ways. To wear them down as the steady river wears down stone, like her teacher used to say. He raised his fan and aimed straight for her head, but feinted at the last second. 

Shiina didn't know what happened until the pain set in when she landed hard on her back. The bastard distracted her with his fan and punched her in the face with his other hand, right before they were due to clash. Clever fucker. Her vision swam and she tasted blood at the back of her throat. That guy had one hell of a punch. She breathed for exactly five seconds before she lifted her head. The force of the punch made the mask crack straight in half. The entire right half of the dumb owl mask crumbled off her face. She glared hard at her masked attacker, who for some weird reason suddenly hesitated. Shiina jumped to her feet once she got her bearings back, but he still didn't come after her. The freaking mask was ruined anyway and this entire mission sucked, so she angrily tore the rest of it off and tossed it away. Her hair, which had grown down to the middle of her back already, swished behind her as she'd put it up in a high ponitail. 

"Alright, I've had enough of this!" She bellowed angrily and gripped Senkai hard. 

A faint red aura began to condense along the edge of the blade and grew until it enveloped all of it. Giving in to Senkai's constant demand for blood was toeing a dangerous line, but Shiina was mighty pissed off indeed. The more she synched herself with the sword, the more powerful it got. At the measly cost of her bodily autonomity, of course. In this state the blade could exert a very small amount of control over her movements. It subtly made her adjust her grip right then and she was annoyed by the fact that in her rage she'd held it wrong. 

"Wait!" The ninja called out suddenly and she hesitated.

That voice.. She could've sworn it was familiar, if muffled by the mask. The reason why became apparent moments later when he pulled off his mask as well. Shiina blinked before her eyes widened.

"Madara?!" She said in disbelief and lowered her sword ever so slightly. 

"I think this is a trap. For both of us," he said seriously. 

Shiina swallowed and inclined her head. That was her suspicion, too. "You may be right."

"We need to talk," he said and jumped off the rock he'd been standing on. 

Shiina exhaled slowly through her nose and pushed her rage down. Senkai hummed with disappointment as the red aura dissipated. She watched Madara approach and felt a brief surge of doubt, but then she sheathed the blade to finally disconnect their consciousnesses. 

"Alright," she nodded at him and glanced at the others, who were still fighting valiantly. "Ishizu! Hansuke! Stand down!"

Her comrades were visibly uncomfortable with the order, but they still obeyed. Both of them gracefully evaded their attackers and jumped over to where she was, landing behind her in crouches. It was kind of impressive how in synch they moved. Madara put a hand on his hip and looked over to the visibly confused masked guys.

"Stand down, guys," he called authoratively. 

The masked guys, likely his clan members, were slow to obey and obviously mistrustful of Shiina and her men. They slowly approached, but kept a healthy distance and some of them crossed their arms with obvious annoyance. The display of an obvious lack of obedience made her want to grin, but she refrained. 

"Unmask yourselves," she said calmly and her comrades obeyed. 

Both of them were really good at keeping a neutral face. They dropped the masks on the ground and watched the opposition warily. At least the others had the courtesy to pull off their masks as well. They all shared Madara's striking onyx eyes and pale skin, though some of them had lighter brown hair. 

"So," she said and regarded the raven haired boy. "Who set you up?"

"You first," he countered and crossed his arms. 

"Lord Fumigake hired us to get rid of assassins," she said and raised a brow while pretending not to notice the others' disapproving stares on the back of her neck. 

"Ah," Madara said and inclined his head. "Now I see. This lord hired us to kill some masked bandits roaming his property."

"I see," she echoed lightly. "That's what the masks were for. To kill two birds with one stone."

"Indeed. A clever ploy. It makes me wonder why he would wish us gone."

"And who's really behind all this," she added with a knowing nod. 

Madara's brows suddenly furrowed. "And why he hired five of us to kill three of you!"

"I think that's obvious," she replied and raised a brow. 

"Hn," he huffed and turned to the side. 

The corners of her mouth twitched, but she quickly discarded the snarky comment she wanted to make. It wouldn't do either of their authorities as leaders any good if they joked around. Perhaps it wasn't a good idea to let people know they were good friends, as it could raise suspicion. Shiina crossed her arms and tapped her lower lip with her index finger. 

"Why would Fumigawa want to hurt the Masamune clan? Does he not realize how foolish that is? Or if he does, is the reward really worth it? Who could have payed him enough to take this risk?"

"Captain," Ishizu spoke up in a low voice. 

Shiina nodded at him. She understood. Clan matters were best discussed in private. A few of the ninja looked at them with interest. 

"Clan Uchiha as well. I fully intend to find out what the meaning of this is," Madara stated and narrowed his eyes. 

Shiina began to suspect that the Muramasa were somehow involved in this. Their wealth was almost legendary and they definitely had a grudge against them. Why get the Uchiha involved? Unless they thought that they were strong enough to beat them. Could they? Difficult to judge. The battle didn't last long enough for her to form an opinion. Thankfully. She would've regretted killing him. Madara was staring at her with a blank expression and that unreadable gaze again when she turned back to face him. It was a bit awkward in all honesty. Like he was trying to dissect her in front of an audience. Shiina felt heat creep up the back of her neck and straightened her posture while firmly reminding herself that she was here as a squad captain. 

"We will investigate this," she stated confidently. "But first we need to send word to the headquarters. Ishizu, go and inform the master. Hansuke and I will remain here and interrogate that slimy.... lord."

"Understood," Ishizu replied neutrally and started to jog towards the treeline. 

Shiina glanced at Madara, whose expression still hadn't changed, and felt increasingly nervous under that stare. To not lose her verneer of professionalism she averted her gaze and regarded the other Uchihas curiously. They, too, seemed intrigued by them, although they all appeared to share the same innate stoicism. It was kind of amusing. 

"Well then, I propose we pay this lord a visit," Shiina suggested and adjusted the strap of her sword hilt. 

"Captain!" Ishizu suddenly yelled from within the forest.

Shiina's head whipped around at his alarmed tone and she watched him jog towards them with an alarmed look.

"What's wrong?!"

"They have us surrounded," he said hurriedly and gestured at the trees. "A small army of heavily armed soldiers is closing in to pick us off."

"Damn!" She hissed. "That bastard really wants us gone, huh!"

"What do you say we join forces, Shiro?" Madara asked slowly. 

"Huh?" She said distractedly and glanced at him. 

"It's the best option," he insisted and stared her down.

"Oh fine," she sighed. "Suppose you're right."

"Orders?" Hansuke asked calmly, completely ignoring the Uchiha. 

Shiina straightened her spine and set her jaw. "We're going to work with the shinobi."

"Very well," he replied neutrally. 

She could sense that he wasn't a hundred percent happy with the decision, but it really was the best option for survival. Shiina closed her eyes and reached out with her senses. Ishizu was right. There they were, bright dots all around them. She lost count after fifty, but there were a lot more. She reached behind her slowly and drew Senkai out of its sheath. The sword let her know of its dismay at being deprieved of a good meal. 

"Don't worry, you will feast," she murmured quietly. "Prepare yourselves."

She was periphherally aware that the ninja were getting ready to fight as well and tried not to feel nervous with having them at her back. Madara himself seemed oddly relaxed. As if he's enjoying this, she thought with a small frown. It didn't take long for the first few soldiers to emerge from the trees. They started to swarm around them like locusts, closing in from every side. Shiina focused on establishing a connection with Senkai again. The sword was getting impatient. When something rustled at her side she startled from her small reverie and Madara glanced at her sideways. 

"Meditating right now?" He asked casually.

"Something like that. Try it sometime," she suggested dryly.

"Everything has its time and place."

"Wise words."

"Hn, what's with the sarcasm?" He huffed.

Shiina couldn't quite explain her need to tease him whenever there was an opportunity, not even to herself. There was certainly no malicious intent behind it. Just.. She shrugged and craned her neck from side to side.

"Let's focus," she muttered and set her eyes on the soliders. 

Not few of them looked wary, but determined. There was definitely a lot of gold involved in all of this. Shiina adjusted her grip properly and narrowed her eyes. Enough messing around, she wanted results! Chakra began to gather in her arms and legs, bolstering her agility and mobility. With this many enemies, technique didn't matter as much as speed. This was a prime opportunity to just let loose without thinking about strategy. A small grin grew on her face. She much preferred this way of fighting. 

"On my command," she said and watched the rows and rows of soldiers approach. "Hold. Hold."

What might be the merc leader suddenly let out a battle cry and they started to charge. Shiina clenched her teeth and grinned ferociously. Senkai practically vibrated with excitement.

"Charge!" She yelled and pushed off the ground with a burst of speed that left a small hole in the ground. 

It felt like her legs and arms were charged and full of power. Shiina charged towards the enemy line and then broke into it like a sledgehammer, slashing left and right without concern. Limbs and weapons went flying in her wake. She couldn't feel a damn thing nor think straight, her focus was always on the next kill. It barely registered that her comrades busied themselves keeping enemies off her back. They both obviously knew that she was going to eliminate more people than both of them combined if they let her. Five guys tried to circle her, but she merely spund around, planted her sandal in one guys face and jumped off of it into the air. 

"Senkai! Diamond Red Storm!" She barked loudly. 

The blade all too gladly obeyed her command. She lifted it over her right shoulder and swung down violently with such speed and force that it sent a gust of slicing wind blasting through the rows of mercenaries. True to its name, it made sprays of blood erupt from its victims that colored the air red. She repeated the same motion over her left shoulder and into another direction, then she landed in the v shaped strip she just cleared. Senkai demanded more, but in a lot more placid manner than before. Shiina's eyes snapped to the left and she stabbed it clean through the heart of a merc who tried to sneak up on her. More! It still wasn't enough! After that miniscule break she immediately got to work again. In the midst of battle she'd lost sight of the Uchihas, but it didn't really matter. Shiina was far from exhausted. In fact she was just getting started. Her previous attack had thinned the herd quite considerably, but she always found new enemies to cut down. Shiina fell into a trance that lasted until she finally spun around and came face to face with Madara. She blinked, relaxed and looked around at the bodies piling up all around them. The stench of blood was thick in the air now that she paid attention.

"Huh," she said and lowered her sword. "It's over?"

"You sound disappointed," he commented in amusement. "You monster."

"Speak for yourself," she shot back and pointedly looked at all the blood dripping down his armor. 

A grin steadily grew on his face until he looked slightly deranged and his eyes almost seemed to spark. Shiina noticed with interest that the irises were now red with three black tomoe in them. So that was his dojutsu. She glanced down at her sword, shook it off and slid it back into its sheath all without looking at him. Strangely enough, she suddenly felt vulnerable. 

"Captain. Are you alright?"

"Yes," Shiina said and looked up when her comrades landed at her sides. "Of course."

"Of course, huh?" Madara snorted in amusement and tilted his chin up. 

Shiina huffed and smiled back. "Yep."

It appeared that they'd reached the quiet understanding that both of them were monsters. Two Uchihas had sustained injuries in the fray, the other three looked plain exhausted. Even her own comrades looked worn, their clothes cut and frayed in places. It was a stark contrast to her and Madara. They both understood that. She could tell when she looked him in the eye. They could've kept going till the next day at least. It made her appreciate him in a whole new way. For some weird reason she felt unable to meet his gaze any longer and looked away, while simultaneously feeling her cheeks grow warm. 

"We should head back now," Hansuke said mildly. 

"Y-yeah, of course," she replied and coughed lightly to hide her embarrassment, turning away abruptly. 

"Hey. It's impolite to stare at someone's behind," Ishizu said all of a sudden in a polite, but pointed tone. 

"Huh?" She said and looked at him in confusion, but he was looking past her at Madara. "What?"

Madara grew rigid under the accusation and funnily enough it looked like his hair bristled. "I wasn't staring at anyone's ass!" He declared loudly. 

"Huh?!" Shiina's eyes widened and everyone else turned to stare at him as well. 

Madara appeared to petrify into a statue on the spot. A statue which blushed furiously in the very definition of mortal embarrassment. Did he actually? Shiina wondered in amazement and curiosity. Did he just say that?! Madara, who was usually so quiet about personal stuff? She blinked and shook her head. Incredible. A few Uchihas grinned, another muffled a chuckle behind his hand. The one who looked the oldest just sighed and rubbed his forehead. Shiina felt her own face heat up and abruptly turned her back on the lot of them, biting her cheek when she realized what she just did. 

"Alright squad, get ready to move," she said with more confidence than she felt. 

"Of course," Ishizu replied calmly. 

Hansuke wore a small half-smile on his face and said nothing. Rustles and clanks behind her told her that the Uchihas were preparing to get a move on as well. It would make sense if all of them headed to Fumigawa's estate together, lest they end up in another ambush. It took only few moments until they seemed ready to go with Madara in the lead. The raven haired boy pointedly avoided even looking her way. Shiina decided to go easy on him and didn't push for conversation as they made their way back through the forest. 

"Let's jump through the trees. It's faster," one of the Uchiha men said. "Plus we avoid easy detection on the road."

"A reasonable argument," she agreed pleasantly. 

It wasn't a samurai's preferred way of travelling, but it would have to do. So they all started jumping from thick tree branch to tree branch. Madara and her were easily jumping in unison. Shiina focused on keeping chakra in her feet to prevent slipping, but chakra manipulation wasn't exactly her bread and butter. When the silence got too much she glanced over and found him wearing a truly impressive blank mask. Was he seriously not over it? Ah, but going from experience he was probably still agonizing over his blunder. Would likely be for the next several years. He took everything so seriously. Nothing she could say would make it better, so she didn't try. No time, as they made it to the estate in record time. Shiina didn't need her senses to realize something was very wrong. The front door was open and unguarded. Both guards had been neatly sliced in half. 

"Keh. Looks like someone got here faster than us," she hissed as they landed on the ground. 

"Stay alert," Madara ordered calmly.

Saying as much to her comrades was uneccesary. They all entred the courtyard warily. Eerie silence greeted them. Shiina furrowed her brows when she spotted the bisected corpse of the maid on the engawa. The door was open as well. Sword wounds, by the looks of it. A frightfully strong sword wielder. Bad news, her gut told her and she believed it. It was just as silent inside the mansion. The lamps along the walls had blown out so it was dim in the hallways. Shiina stretched out her senses, but could detect no life within the entire perimeter of the estate. 

"Seems clear," she muttered to her companions. 

"Seems that way," Hansuke agreed lightly. 

The paper sliding door to the meeting room had been violently kicked in, so whoever got here first must've been pretty angry. Fumigawa's corpse laid behind the low table and his head sat on the table itself. Other than that the attacker had left no clues. 

"Che," she huffed after looking around. 

"There's just nothing," one of the Uchihas said with frustration. 

Shiina had her suspicions, but they didn't need to know that. If she wasn't mistaken, they'd merely been used as tools against the order. There was no need for them to know more, as knowledge about clan Muramasa could potentially be dangerous to outsiders. Since they proved to be inefficient by failing to kill the three of them, they would likely never be contacted by them again. Shiina shared looks with her companions, who thought along the same lines, and nodded very slightly.

"It's time to go home. We won't find anything here," she said. 

"What makes you so sure?" One of the younger Uchiha asked.

"The powers at play here leave no clues," she responded calmly. 

"You know who did this, then?"

"Don't let it trouble you," she replied with a grim smile. "They won't reach out to you again. Consider it a blessing."

"Hn," he huffed and crossed his arms with an unconvinced look. 

"Let's go." She glanced at her squad and nodded at the door.

"Hold on a second," Madara spoke up suddenly. "Don't you think we deserve to know what's going on?"

Shiina let her shoulders slump on an exhale and turned around to face him. He still looked chagrined, but also stubborn. Typical, she though with a small smile. 

"Our old enemy has attempted to use you against us," she explained. "I am very sure it'll be an one time occurrence, as they hate inefficiency almost as much as losing money. No offense."

"Hn," he huffed without looking at her, yet still somehow managed to convey confidence. 

Shiina tilted her head to the side as an idea slowly grew in her brain. The left corner of her mouth pulled up.

"Hey, there's something else I have to tell you," she said casually. 

"What?" He asked.

When she slowly walked towards him, his eyes darted towards her furtively. Shiina kept a perfectly neutral expression until she was next to him. Then she leaned up on her toes and cupped her hands around his ear. 

"I don't mind if you look," she whispered into his ear. 

Madara froze up again. He didn't even so much as breathe. Feeling mighty pleased with herself, Shiina walked back to her squad while trying desperately to smother her grin. Every word she said was true. Seriously, if he really did check out her ass that was okay. It didn't offend her in the least. In fact it was almost flattering, since Madara usually didn't have a single nice word to spare for girls in general. On more than one occasion he'd harped on about them being weak and boring. It filled her with a certain sense of pride to be the exception.


	10. Chapter 10

Either Master Edogawa was in a particularly shitty mood when she made her report or he was genuinely disppointed with the way she handled the mission. At either rate she recieved the scolding of a lifetime. It made her angry and bitter to be treated this way, especially considering that the whole mission in itself was stupid and abnormal. Shiina retreated to her sparsely furnished small room and meditated to center herself. She thought deeply about her situation and the general state of the order. In her opinion they'd grown lazy and overconfident. After this recent disaster she worried if they would take more and more contracts for money, instead of doing what they were founded to do: Track down the Muramasa clan. She didn't like the direction they were headed in. 

Master Edogawa himself had changed over the years. Shiina used to ignore it, thinking he was just getting old, but no. He was growing more and more grumpy and short tempered. They hardly ever spoke outside of briefings and when they did he often talked down to her as if she was a mere child. She didn't like it. The situation made her unhappy. Additionally in all her years serving the order she hadn't gotten one step closer to finding her parents' murderer. The order hadn't lifted a finger to help, unlike what she'd been promised. All in all it made her wonder what the point in staying was. It was an uncomfortable new thought, but one she felt was neccessary to have. What was the point? Wouldn't she be better off on her own? Would they regard her as just another Muramasa enemy if she left? But given how things were, should she even be worried? Since they were obviously growing complacent. 

Shiina opened her eyes and decided right then and there to screw it. Nobody had the right to stop her from taking her life into her own hands. She'd wasted enough time playing the order's errand boy. It was time to move on. Driven by her newfound resolution she got to her feet full of excited energy and went to her bed. She lifted the mattress and removed the coin bag full of her savings. It was all she needed. Then she slung her sword onto her bag and left the room. Nobody spared her a second glance as she made her way through the compound and outside. It only served as a bitter reminder that she had no real friends in this place. Just comrades. Once outside of the compound she made her way down the familiar path to the river and realized grimly that leaving that place behind was all too easy. 

Nobody was there yet, so she sat down with her back against a tree trunk and waited. She busied herself attempting to skip stones across the river, but less than half of them made it. Shiina waited and waited, but none of her friends made an appearance. When it started getting late she finally decided to give up and leave. Perhaps they were away on missions. She shouldered her weapon and eyed the road. As she was now officially homeless she had no clue where to go. She also didn't know where her friends lived, so if she went too far they might not see each other again and that thought was just unbearable. 

She rubbed her chin and thought. If they both could come here on foot and stay late enough to make it back home before nightfall, didn't that imply they lived somewhere around here? Or in the general area. Perhaps her first course of action should be to scope out the area. It wasn't like she had anything better to do and getting moving was probably a good idea before anybody decided to come look for her. Decision made, Shiina headed towards the direction she'd seen Madara come and go first. The dirt path led her through the trees and she paid close attention to her surroundings as she went. 

It didn't take that long to spot the walls of a large compound containing several houses. The red and white fan symbol was everywhere and Shiina recognized it from Madara's fan, so this had to be his home. It almost looked like a small village, so the clan had to be huge. For a few moments she contemplated going and asking for her friend, but there was a reason they always met at the river. Nobody could know of their friendship. The people milling about all wore dark colored clothes, mostly navy blue, deep purple or black. They also looked particularly grim and sullen. She left them to it and retraced her steps to the river. Then she went looking for Hashirama's place. It was even less hard to find and also a sizeable compound full of people. All of them wore predominantly greens, greys and beiges in stark contrast to the Uchihas. Once she'd engraved both places in her memory, Shiina let out a sigh and decided to find a home of her own. 

Her search led her through several villages, hamlets and towns strewn across the forest. She lent her aid to anyone who required it and was surprised to find that people were willing to pay her for it. After a fateful encounter in a bar she discovered that there was a high demand for bounty hunters. The town sheriff paid her a sizeable sum of money after she dragged an aggressive hoodlum's carass over to him and explained why she had to kill him. He was rather happy about it, much to her surprise. Shiina had fully expected to be thrown into prison, not paid for her crime. He then explained that it wasn't a crime when there was a bounty on his head. This piqued her interest, as she was chronically running low on cash and hated having to resort to stealing food. After that Shiina officially picked up the mantle of bounty hunter. She was good at it, too. People didn't take the "scrawny boy" very seriously and let their guard down around her, making it easy to chop their heads off. 

After her seventeenth birthday she really couldn't pass as a boy anymore. It had been difficult before, but once her breasts and hips had fully grown there was just no way. Shiina officially ditched her old regalia and started wearing a very comfortable light blue yukata. It was a drastic change, but seeing as it had been the cheapest option at the store she really had no choice. The patient tailor taught her how to wear it and Shiina spent a good amount of time just staring at herself in the mirror. It was odd to really see herself as a girl for the first time. She reached up and tugged the hair band off so that her long white hair fell down her back. Huh. So weird. She turned from side to side to regard her chest, which was clearly noticeable now that she gave up tying it down. Since the yukata was form fitting it showed her outline clearly. Shiina almost felt like it was too revealing, but she'd told herself to stop hiding. After all she wasn't eleven anymore. 

"My my, aren't you a pretty young lady. I bet the boys will fall over themselves to woo you," the elderly tailor chuckled. 

Shiina's cheeks grew red and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Wooing? What the hell was wooing? She'd rather not think about this stuff. It was too weird, so she paid for her stuff and left. The ongoing hostilities between the nobles and the battles raging across the world caused many people to turn to a life of banditry to earn a living. This also meant that there was plenty of work for her. It helped keep her skills sharp and after a couple of years she'd built somewhat of a reputation. Even after going back to the river several times she never met her friends again. It hurt and confused her. She couldn't help but wonder if something happened between the boys. To get answers she'd have to seek them out in their homes, but Shiina shyed away from that. Aside from that a lot of her hunts took her far away and out of the forest, sometimes for months on end. Especially when she was going after the bigger fish. Nobody from the order ever found her so she had to wonder if they had really just let her go like that. It was almost too good to be true. Living on the road had been ingrained in her, but living from hand to mouth hadn't. It was difficult to get used to, but the exciting fights and new experiences more than made up for it. 

Not all of the wanted criminals were samurai or ninja, but they were still strong. Killing them felt like a reward in and of itself. Shiina liked to think she was doing her part to restore peace in the world. Since her travels took her far and wide across the continent she was also privy to a ton of gossip and rumors. If only the order wasn't so lazy, they could've found out about the Muramasa's plots throughout the world. On her own she learned more than they probably had in years. While there were only a handful of people causing trouble, those were strong. Eventually she got wind of a particularly feared clan member. Muramasa Yami. Reportedly he was wielding two Muramasa blades. Two! She thought with a shudder. He had to be a real monster. It made her uneasy. What if he was the one she was after? The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Senkai appeared to think so as well. It told her to stay away from him. That she wasn't strong enough yet. It was a little insulting, but probably true. That guy travelled a lot and nobody knew where his hometown was. For now, the name was all she had, but that was more than she ever learned while part of the order. It made her feel justified in ditching them.


	11. Chapter 11

Once her twentieth birthday rolled around she was acutely suffering, just like the rest of the forest. This summer was the hottest she had ever witnessed. Shiina postponed all hunts until the temperatures dropped and stayed in a small village near the river. She'd just come home from the Land of Water and nearly collapsed once that countries cool climate made way for the unbearable heat. Her plan was to make a last ditch attempt to see her friends again by seeking them out individually. By then she was confident enough in her skills and appearance to no longer worry about rejection. Hashirama knew anyway. Only Madara might be deeply offended, but she'd deal with that once it happened. One step at a time, she reminded herself to stave of the nervousness thinking about him evoked. It wasn't new, but it also hadn't gone away over time like she hoped. Shiina sighed and slowly made her way towards the bar. On such a hot day it was mostly empty, since most people stayed home out of laziness. She sat down at the bar and the waiter came over immediately. He was an older guy with a receding hairline and beads of sweat on his forehead.

"How can I help you?" He grunted. 

"Cold water, please."

"Hn," he grumbled and went to work.

Shiina crossed her arms on the counter and dropped her head on them in exhaustion. Even in here it was sweltering. 

"Here ya go," he said and put the water down in front of her. "You that bounty hunter everyone's been talking about, eh?"

"Yeaaah," she drawled and quickly took a sip. "Shiina's the name."

"Alright," he nodded with approval. "Done good work, you have."

"Just doing my part," she responded. 

"There's plenty 'o hoodlums harassin' good hardworking folks," he grunted. "With the war an' all. They just keep poppin' up like mushrooms."

"Yeah," she agreed.

With bartenders she learned to let them do the talking and just listen. They always were the best sources of gossip around, since plenty of people spilled their secrets to them once they were drunk enough. This guy was apparently no different.

"Didya hear that preposterous story 'bout the big clans?"

"Eh? No," she perked up. 

"Can't believe the horseshit people make up after a few cups 'a sake," he said and shook his head. "Like them Uchihas and Senjus would ever stop fightin'. There's generations 'a bad blood between 'em."

"What?" She said and sat up straight. 

"Yeah, 's what I've been told. Supposedly they founded a village together somewhere. Can ya believe that?!" He barked out a laugh. 

Shiina's eyes widened. They what now?! This was definitely worth investigating. She quickly gulped down her water, paid and left the bar only to run into a wall of heat. 

"Daaamnnn iiiit," she groaned and squinted at the azure sky. "If I was a powerful ninja from an old clan that has a blood feud with another clan, where would I found a village with said old enemy?"

Somewhere nice, she guessed. It was really touching that they really did realize their childhood dreams together. They'd definitely want the village to grow and expand, so it had to be a large area. Shiina thought about the layout of the forest surrounding the river where they used to meet. There was a steep cliff on the north side that blocked the cold harsh winds. Would they? There? It seemed nostalgic enough and both of their homes were in the area. Shiina fanned herself, inhaled deeply and walked out of the shade. Then she started to jog in fear of getting a sunburn. The forest edge was nearby and she sighed with relief once the burn of sunlight lessened. It would take her a couple of hours to reach the river from here, but she was in no hurry. A village. Wow. That was definitely one way to end hostilities as it was a huge responsibility that would require a lot of work. And work, as she well knew, kept one too busy for gloomy thoughts. A small grin grew on her face. Those two always were really close. Like brothers even. If anyone could stop the endless fighting it was them. 

Even before she reached the river she heard the clangs and noises of tools being used echo through the forest. She followed them and found a large clearing where several trees had been felled to make room for houses. Six of them already stood, many more were under construction. The entire clearing was bursting with life as men worked on building housing and their families helped. It was a miracle, she thought in amazement. Going by her knowledge of the forest, the clearing was exactly in the middle between the Uchiha and Senju compounds. Shiina slowly made her way through the houses and newly made streets, looking around for a glimpse of her friends. The main street was bigger than the others and also busier. Some distance down the road she spotted a freakishly tall beanpole of a guy wearing loose grey pants and a long beige tunic. He also had very long, straight brown hair. A huge smile broke out on her face. 

"Hashiramaaaaa!" She yelled happily as she jogged towards him.

When he turned around to look at her in surprise she raised her hand and waved enthusiastically. He'd really grown up! When he recognized her his whole expression lit up.

"Shiina!" He exclaimed joyfully. 

"Ohh my gosh, I missed you!" She chirped and once she was within reach, wrapped both of her arms around his left. 

"I'm so happy you're alive!" He said earnestly and beamed down at her. "And here!"

"Yeah!" She said and beamed back. 

Hashirama looked away with a grin and Shiina curiously followed his gaze, only to be instantly struck by nerves. There he was. They must've been talking before her arrival. Madara had grown up as well. He was clad in a navy yukata and his hair had grown all the way down to his hips. What struck her the most was the dazed look on his face. He was staring at her openly like he wasn't comprehending what he was seeing. 

"Um," she said hesitantly and started to grin despite her nerves. "Hi Madara! It's been forever."

She self-consciously let go of Hashirama's arm and fiddled with her hands after taking a small step towards him. Shiina looked up at him from under her lashes and tried to convince herself her cheeks were hot because of sunburn. 

"Who-," he started and cut himself off before his brows crashed down into a harsh frown and his expression turned downright hostile. "Who the hell are you and why do you have Shiro's sword?!"

Shiina's jaw dropped in disbelief. W...was he serious?! Madara scowled at her and crossed his arms. He was, wasn't he! Incredible. 

"I am Shiro," she said slowly. "Or that's what I used to call myself at least."

"Prove it," he demanded with narrowed eyes. "Tell me something only he would know!"

Honestly... She thought and sighed. He really could be dense sometimes. Then again, her joy at seeing him again far outweighed her exasperation so she decided to return to her old habits and tease him a little. A small smirk grew on her face. 

"I remember one time you were peeing in the river when we arrived and you've got such a shy bladder that you had to stop! And that other time when you were fighting and ended up falling into the river after you peed in it was also hilarious. You never once managed to skip a stone all the way across the river either."

Madara's face grew paler and paler as she spoke while Hashirama started to laugh hysterically. He patted her back in between fits of laughter.

"Wahaha! G-good one! Hahaha, yeah! I remember! That was hilarious!" He laughed. 

A black cloud appeared around Madara's head and he looked like he'd like to be swallowed by the earth. Shiina decided to take pity on her friend and stepped to his left, before she wrapped her arms around his and grinned up at him, since he was two heads taller.

"I really missed you, too, you know?" She laughed. 

"So.. Shiina's your actual name?" He muttered and looked down at her. 

Hearing him say it did something funny to her stomach, which she chose to ignore. 

"Yup," she responded happily. 

Madara looked at the other guy with a frown. "Did you know about this?" He asked accusingly.

"Well, duh," Hashirama replied with a chuckle. "It was really obvious. I'm surprised you missed it all this time."

"Seriously?!" He groaned. 

Shiina chuckled a bit and tried not to swoon over the feeling of his arm against her. That'd just be stupid. It was a very hard, muscular arm. Pretty impressive, actually. Madara glared at them both with something vaguely akin to a pout. 

"Why did none of you ever deign to tell me?" He demanded as his gaze landed on her. "I would've-"

"Treated me differently if you'd known I was a girl?" She cut in and lifted a brow. 

"Hn," he huffed and looked away. 

Shiina sighed and released his arm. "I didn't do it to fool you. I just didn't want special treatment. Besides I had to, because of the order. It was for my own safety."

"I see," he muttered. 

Shiina picked up the way his left arm flexed before he crossed both in front of his chest. "I'm so freaking happy to see you both again," she said and grinned at them. "You're building your own village! That's so great!"

"Yeah!" Hashirama replied enthusiastically. "It's a dream come true!"

"I'm happy for you," she said with a grin and rubbed her nose. "Hey, since we're friends and all... You wouldn't happen to have a place to stay for me, would you?"

"Huh? What about your order?" Hashirama asked curiously.

"Of course," Madara said at the same time. 

They glanced at each other quickly. Shiina shrugged. "I quit. Now I'm kinda homeless. But I can definitely pay you!"

"Nonsense!" Madara protested with a small frown. 

"Cause I'm a bounty hunter now!" She continued unerringly. 

"Oh really?" Hashirama asked curiously. "So that's what you've been up to?"

"Yeah. Made quite a living, I did," she replied proudly. 

"I bet. You don't have to pay, though. Everyone's welcome to stay here free of charge," Hashirama said with a big smile.

"We'll have to work on a taxation system," Madara said soberly. 

"Yeah yeah, but first the people need homes," Hashirama said and waved a hand at the construction going on all around them. 

"I, uh, I'll even try to make myself useful," she supplied and glanced around. "It can't be that difficult to build a house, can it?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Madara said sternly. "You're not going to build your own house."

"But-!"

"Shiina," he cut in with a small frown and stared down at her. 

She crossed her arms and tilted her chin up stubbornly. "Don't treat me differently just because-"

"It's not that!"

"Then what is it?!"

"Uh, guys," Hashirama spoke up hesitantly and lifted his hand in a placating manner, while they glared at each other. "I can help."

"Oh really?" Shiina asked with interest and looked at him. "Is it with your weird flower growing trick?"

"Weird... Flower growing...?!" He gaped at her. 

"Hn."

Shiina shrugged. "Be my guest."

"It's not just for growing flowers!" Hashirama exclaimed before he let out a small chuckle. "You don't know the full extent of it. I can grow entire trees with that."

"Really?" She lifted a brow. "Guess that's useful for construction."

"It- Yeah, I guess. I help out where I can, so does my brother and the rest of my family."

From the corner of her eyes she noticed the slightest tension in Madara's body. "Okay. Can I, um, can I pick where I'd like to build it?"

"Sure," Hashirama said. "Let me know and I'll send somebody over to help."

"Great!" She grinned and looked around. "Oh boy, that's kinda exciting!"

"Where will you stay in the meantime?" Madara asked. 

"I'm used to sleeping rough," she replied with a shrug. 

"That's not neccessary. Our clan compounds-"

"I wouldn't want to impose on you."

"Let me finish my sentences," he snapped suddenly. 

Her mouth clicked shut and she looked up at him uncertainly. He pinched the bridge of his nose while Hashirama just watched them in amusement. 

"Um. Sorry," she said meekly and touched his arm. 

"No, it's..," he sighed and glanced away. "It's fine."

Shiina bit the inside of her cheek before she poked his stomach with her index finger and grinned up at him.

"Come on, Mr. Grumpypants. Relax. Aren't you happy to see me again?" 

Madara looked down at her and opened his mouth, but when their eyes met he abruptly averted his face. Shiina tilted her head to the side curiously while she heard Hashirama chuckle from her left. 

"Madara? What's wrong?" She asked gently. 

"Nothing," he grit out. 

"What's with that face, then?" She asked and got up on her toes to touch his left cheek. 

It was burning up under her fingers. Did he suddenly develop a fever or something? Allergies, perhaps? Shiina watched in fascination and horror as red splotches erupted all over his face. She quickly removed her hand and looked helplessly at Hashirama, who was shaking with muffled laughter. 

"Excuse me," Madara grit out and quickly stalked away.

"Hey! But...," she muttered and frowned at his retreating back. "What's with him?"

"Di-didn't you see his face?" Hashirama chuckled before he put on an overly serious expression that was belied by the mirth in his eyes. "I think he's allergic to girls!"

"Seriously?!" She gasped with wide eyes. 

Hashirama nodded gravely. Shiina bit her lower lip and looked away uncertainly. He let out a snort and chuckled some more before he put a hand on her shoulder. 

"Don't worry, Shiina. I think he just needs some time to get over the shock of realizing you're a girl," he laughed. 

"Is it that startling?" She asked in a small voice. "I feel bad now."

"No, don't worry. He'll adjust," Hashirama told her with a smile. "How about we get started on your house now? Did you see a good spot yet?"

"Oh, yeah actually. Near the forest edge where the river is."

"Where?"

"Over there," she said and pointed it out.

"Alright then! I should be able to put the walls and roof up quickly. The rest will have to be done by someone else."

"Great! That's more than enough!" She said and grinned up at him.

Hashirama grinned back and put his hand on her back, leading her towards her new home. Everybody seemed to love him as people actually smiled and waved at him wherever he went. Hashirama always smiled and waved back. Shiina smiled too, happy that her friend had found his calling. One elderly grandmother actually stopped in the street when she saw them.

"Nice catch, Hashirama-kun. When is the wedding?" She asked loudly. 

"Oh, no no! You've totally got it wrong!" He said quickly and let out an awkward laugh. "We're just friends!"

"Sure sure," she replied with a benevolent smile and leaned on her walking cane. "That's what they all say!"

"Seriously!" He insisted.

The old lady laughed at him before she started walking again. Shiina shook her head with a chuckle. What a silly idea! They were basically like siblings! She grinned up at him and jostled his side with her elbow.

"Seriously?! You don't have a girlfriend yet?" She said with fake surprise. "How come?!"

"Shiina, drop it," he replied with a grimace. 

"What's the matter? You're not actually shy when talking to girls, so?"

He quickly looked around before he bent down to her. "I'm engaged," he whispered into her ear. "Don't tell anyone."

"What?!" She exclaimed loudly and stared at him. 

"Shhh!"

"To who?!"

"I'll tell you all about it later," he promised. 

"Well okay then," she replied and eyed him curiously. 

"It's... Well," he said and shrugged before he looked away. "A mutually beneficial arrangement."

"Oh," she muttered. 

That didn't sound very romantic. Ah, but it was to be expected, wasn't it? From a guy with his kind of background. She looked out over the various smaller and bigger construction sites and smiled.

"It's great, isn't it?" He asked with a smile.

"Yeah. Amazing. I'm glad your families made peace at last," she said and eyed him from the side. "How did that happen?"

"It's a long story," he replied evasively. 

"I got time," she said and raised a brow. 

"Ah. Well," he said and lowered his gaze.

His smile dimmed, too. So it wasn't a happy tale. Not entirely unexpected, given their history. Shiina glanced at the spot she'd seen, where she'd like her future house to be. Right near the forest, a fifteen minute walk from the river. At the end of the street. When they approached the spot he still hadn't spilled the beans. So much reluctance from her usually outgoing friend was a huge red flag. 

"Here were are. I think this is the perfect spot," she said and made a sweeping gesture at the plot. 

"It's pretty secluded," he said and glanced at her. 

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I like peace and quiet."

"I'm not judging you for that," he replied good-naturedly. 

"So how are we gonna do this?" 

"I'll create the foundation, the pillars and the roof frame. All the solid wooden parts are easy to do."

"Go ahead," she replied curiously and crossed her arms.

Hashirama raised his hands and made a few handsigns with a concentrated look. The ground started to groan and rumble as large roots burst through the earth. Shiina's jaw dropped as the roots shot up and grew into solid tree trunks that shaped themselves to his unspoken wishes. Soon after, the foundation for her house was laid. 

"Whaaaat?" She breathed and stared at it. "How?!"

"It's my dojutsu," he said proudly. 

"That's awesome!" She grinned. "What an useful trick!"

"Yes, it has its uses outside of combat as well," he replied with a smile. 

"That's great," she nodded and patted his arm. "With you here, the village will be built in record time."

"I hope so. The sooner we can all get used to living and working together, the sooner we can move on from the past."

"Why did he flinch at the mention of brothers?" She asked quietly and gave him a knowing look.

Hashirama lowered his gaze with an unhappy expression. "My younger brother Tobirama killed his younger brother Izuna. He was the last of his brothers left."

Shiina exhaled slowly. "Damn."

"We were still at war at that point," he pointed out with a hint of regret. "Incidentally, his death is what sparked all of this."

"I suppose," Shiina agreed slowly. 

Izuna's demise being the catalyst for the village's founding didn't change the fact that it was a loss so awful she couldn't imagine what Madara must be going through. They both knew it, so it didn't need to be said. Hashirama looked extremely guilty and unhappy about it at either rate. 

"For what it's worth, I'm sure that the both of you will be able to move forward from this point," she stated calmly. "To create a brighter future for all of us. If anybody can bring peace to the world, it's you guys."

"Shiina," he said and blinked at her in surprise. "Is that really what you think?"

"Of course," she replied with a small smile. "I believe in you. No matter what."

"Ah.. Your words are flattering. I hope I'll live up to those expectations.," he said with an awkward laugh.

"Don't let it get to your head, beanpole," she huffed and crossed her arms. 

"H-hey..."

"Send me someone who can build me some walls. And a roof. I'll do the rest myself," she stated firmly and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Um, sure," he replied and rubbed the back of his head. "Thankfully we've been able to contract a lot of skilled craftsmen. I'll send someone over."

"Good," she replied absently as she looked over the foundation. 

A while later one harried looking man came over and assessed the state of her home. He told her about the paper needed for the walls and the shingles for her roof. Since those were all being mass produced in the center of the village there was a chance that the house could be finished within the month. Shiina nodded eagerly and went with him to where a dozen men were forming shingles and putting them in a large firing oven. They loaded the finished products onto small handcarts. Both of them grabbed one each and towed them back to her house. He climbed onto the wooden beams of the roof and she handed him the shingles. It took several trips until the roof was done. Shiina felt lucky in the extreme that they managed it within a day. Paper wasn't so easy to come by. The helpful craftsman told her he would take care of it. Shiina, feeling restless and unhappy about being told to stand aside, went about finding something to work on. She measured and prepared the frames for her future walls. 

When the craftsman returned with a cart full of paper and glue in tow, she proudly presented him with the finished product. He nodded in approval and both of them got to gluing the paper to the wall frames. It was tedious, sticky work and the sun was beating down on them mercilessly. He was a pleasant older man who politely focused on his work and let her do as she pleased. Which effectively meant ignoring the way she rolled up her sleeves and the hem of her yukata until her knees were visible. It was just easier to move around that way and besides it was hellishly hot. Shiina could give less of a damn about who saw her bare legs in this heat. Sticky glue was all over her hands and the sharp smell was slowly but surely giving her a headache, so she got up and walked around the house to the washbasin full of water she'd put down in the shade. It was hell trying to get the stuff off of her hands. She noticed the carpenter talking to somebody and came around the house curiously. It was Madara and even in this heat he wore his clan's traditional dark clothing. Shiina shook her wet hands and smiled. 

"Hi there."

His brows rose when he spotted her. Shiina desperately told herself not to react to the critical once over he gave her. 

"What are you wearing?" 

She made a face at his words. "Really? That's your greeting?"

He actually had the gall to look offended by her appearance. She really wasn't in the mood for his weirdness, rolled her eyes and simply went back to her spot on the grass. 

"What are you doing?"

"Building my walls," she replied curtly and went back to lining the edge of the paper with glue. 

"You shouldn't," he replied with an audible frown.

"Oh yeah?" She asked rebelliously and glared up at him. "And why's that?!"

Madara's gaze was on her bare legs. It took a whole five seconds until it lifted to meet her eyes. Oddly enough, he suddenly looked determined. Then he surprised her even further by sitting down besides her and lifting the heavy wooden frame off her thighs. 

"What are you doing?" She muttered when he pulled the glue pot towards him. 

"Aren't you going to offer your guest some tea?" He asked pointedly and shot her a quick sideways look. 

"Huh?!" She blinked. "But.."

"Manners, Shiina."

"Hn," she huffed and got up. 

Nevermind the fact that she didn't even have any furniture, much less a tea kettle. When he got like that it was simply impossible to argue with him. It was too hot to bother, so she opted to let him do whatever he wanted. It was even kind of sweet that he chose to help her. She craned her neck from side to side and went over to her next door neighbour. The older couple there were friendly folks who were baffled by her request to let her use their stove to make tea, but complied anyway. Shiina borrowed three cups as well. As soon as it finished brewing she took the kettle and cups over to her house. Even before she saw him she could hear him mutter angrily to himself as he wrangled the sticky paper into its frame. It made a smile break out on her face that she had to consciously dim as she approached them. 

"Would you guys like some tea?" She asked calmly as she sat down in the shade by the house. 

"Please," the carpenter groaned and stood up, wiping some sweat off his forehead. 

"Hn," Madara huffed and dropped the frame in disgust after properly fixing the paper to it. 

Shiina smiled at them both as she filled their cups. The carpenter got the first one and accepted it gratefully while Madara rubbed his hands to get rid of the glue. The older man glanced between them and sat down further away in the shade. It was pretty odd that he saw the need to give them some space and Shiina felt her neck grow hot as her paranoid brain tried to come up with a reason. They really were just friends! That was totally it! Nevertheless she avoided looking him in the eye as she handed Madara his cup. He simply sat down on her right and let out a small sigh. 

"Peppermint?"

"Yeah. I hear it's good in hot weather," she replied easily. 

"Hm."

"Thanks for your help," she added after a while. "You didn't have to."

He didn't bother replying to that. Shiina looked at the frames strewn about the grass. Should be enough to form the third outer wall. It was kind of impressive how far they'd come already. 

"What are you thinking about?"

"Installing the third wall will probably take the rest of the day," Shiina muttered thoughtfully. "At this pace we might be able to finish the fourth wall tomorrow. That would be awesome."

"You're sleeping here?" He asked quietly. 

"Yeah."

"Hn."

"What?" 

Madara crossed his arms. "That's not safe."

Shiina shrugged and looked around before she smiled at him. "I'm not worried. The village you're building seems to attract a lot of good people. Everyone I've met so far is really nice."

"How careless," he muttered and looked away. 

"Why are you being so grumpy?" She asked with a small laugh and knocked her shoulder against his upper arm. 

He let out a dramatic sigh. "This again?"

"What? All you've done since coming here is chide me!" She huffed with a small grin. 

His lips pressed into a flat line as he frowned at her. He'd always been sort of stoic and unwilling to talk about what was going on inside that head of his, but these days he was surrounded by a certain air of loneliness. Even amidst the village he helped create. It made him stand apart and Shiina could see how somebody who didn't knew him well could mistake it as him being cold or unapproachable, when the exact opposite was true. That was why she became all the more determined to make him lighten up a bit. She glanced at the carpenter, who was drinking his tea and minding his own business, before she looked at Madara and smiled gently as she put her hand on his crossed lower arms, pushing them down until he relented. 

"What's wrong, hm?" She asked softly. 

"Am I not allowed to worry about a friend?" He asked back. 

She blinked in surprise before her smile widened. "Of course you are."

"Doesn't sound like it," he replied and looked at the walls drying in the sun. 

"I don't get you sometimes. It would help if you explain more," she pointed out carefully. 

"Hn. You're a woman. You're supposed to get things."

It made her giggle in amusement, which in turn made him glance at her briefly. Shiina grinned and casually linked arms with him. 

"You can be hilarious sometimes, you know?"

"I fail to see how that's funny," he muttered without heat. 

Even though she was by no means weak she couldn't help but notice appreciatively how his upper arm was twice as big as hers. It made her swallow and her traitorous heart flutter, so she slowly started to let go. Slowly, because she didn't want to make it seem like she was in a hurry. That would be weird, right? Suddenly she couldn't even look at him anymore because her heart was beating so fast. How did this happen?! All of a sudden she felt nervous around him. It was completely silly, but she couldn't help it. 

"More tea?" She asked instead.

"Yes, thank you," he replied calmly. 

Shiina focused entirely on her hands as she refilled his cup. It helped calm her nerves. The smell of peppermint helped as well. In the end both men took it upon themselves to put the third wall up and secure it in its place. By the time they were done it was getting dark and Shiina thanked them profusely. After all she felt bad for not being allowed to help as per Madara's orders. The man himself did end up looking a bit worse for wear at the end of the day, but also satisfied with the result and the praise she made sure to heap on him. To her it was strange, but he seemed pleased with getting to do this for her. Even though it was tedious exhausting work. The next day she got up early and returned to work with the carpenter, who made no comment when Madara showed up again and shooed her away gently but firmly. 

"But-! Hey, no, I can do this, you don't have to-!" She objected when he pushed her towards the house. 

"Go make some tea," he ordered firmly. 

"Hey!" 

He didn't relent, pushing her by the shoulders until she left. The kind neighbours let her in again and the older lady was all too glad to show her how to make a simple but filling lunch. Shiina didn't know a thing about cooking, but found that it was quick and easy to learn. Mainly she focused on making riceballs with various fillings. She stacked them on a plate and went over, only to find several more wooden frames drying on the grass. If she wasn't mistaken, Madara had begun to sport a slight sunburn on his face. 

"Look guys, I made food. If you're hungry take a quick break," she announced and put the plate down on the engawa. "I'll make tea as well, please hold on."

Then she hurried back and grabbed the tea she'd been preparing as well as more cups. The old lady smiled brightly at her harried expression. The carpenter was happily chewing away as she brought him a cup before she returned to Madara, who studied a riceball curiously. When he looked up and their eyes met she grinned automatically. 

"What filling did you put in these?"

"Oh, some have pickled plums. Others have mayo and egg. You have to find out."

"I see."

Shiina filled a cup and handed it to him. "It's peppermint again."

"Thanks."

She sat down with a sigh and took a sip of tea. "I appreciate all your hard work, but I do feel kind of useless."

"Why?" He asked inbetween bites. 

"Well, you're not letting me help with the real work!" She shrugged. 

"You shouldn't have to," he said calmly.

Shiina looked at him and felt sort of lost. Was he trying to tell her something? Try as she might she couldn't get behind the meaning of his words. If there was any. Shiina began to suspect he liked talking in riddles. 

"It's my house, so," she settled on saying and picked out a riceball. 

Madara looked critically at the house. "It's not very big."

"I don't need a lot of space."

"What about the future?" He asked calmly and gave her a steady look. 

"What about it?" She asked and raised a brow. 

"Do you not intend to start a family?"

Her eyes widened and she quickly looked away with burning cheeks. "I haven't really thought about that."

"You should. Before you build a house."

"Ah. Well," she muttered and scratched her cheek. "I'll consider it."

"Now it's a bit late," he replied mildly. 

"Even a small space can be hospitable," she argued and looked at her house. "It's not that tiny! I'm sure it could be expanded. I'll ask Hashirama about it."

"Hn."

"He actually put up the foundation and roof. I didn't think it was possible, but with his dojutsu it just worked. That's pretty amazing, isn't it?" She asked with a smile. "Did you know about it?"

"Yes. We've fought each other on the battlefield before," he replied in a serious tone. 

"You have?" 

"Yes. It was inevitable."

"How so?"

He exhaled loudly. "Our friendship couldn't remain a secret forever. That nosy little brother of his found out. We could no longer avoid our families' feud and remain willfully ignorant. So we fought."

"Ah, I see. So that's why.. I went back to the river several times over the years, but you guys were never there," she said quietly. 

"No."

"How did you make up?"

"Hashirama was willing to kill himself to end the feud," he replied curtly. "As recompense for Izuna. It all seemed so pointless then. I suppose I.. All of us longed for peace. The endless war has made us weary."

"I understand that," she replied and glanced at him. 

Madara's gaze was far away and his expression thoughtful. He'd lost all of his brothers. His family. Meanwhile Hashirama still had his. It had to hurt, didn't it? 

"So to seal the deal you decided to found this village," she stated with a smile. 

"We wanted to create a place where children could be safe from war," he muttered. 

"Just like you said back then. Heh. I always knew you could do it," she said and grinned at the nearby tree line. 

"You did?"

"Of course. You guys are amazing," she told him with a smile. 

"Hm," he hummed and something in his gaze softened.


	12. Chapter 12

Just as planned, the final outer wall of her new home was in place at the end of the next day. Shiina felt incredibly proud and grateful for their help. The carpenter was needed elsewhere and Madara offered to give her some stuff to put inside, but Shiina firmly declined.

"No seriously, I'll get my own things," she laughed and patted his arm. "You've done more than enough already."

"It wouldn't be a problem," he insisted stubbornly.

"Nah," she grinned up at him. 

"Shiina," he sighed in exasperation. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Says you!" She exclaimed and started to laugh. "Come on!" 

In the end he had to relent for once. Shiina didn't want to accept any more charity and got to building and creating her own furniture. It was something useful to do in the sudden huge amount of free time she had. What she couldn't make she bought with her savings and it only took two more months until her home was finally finished. The sliding doors inside were made by the carpenter when he returned with enough time to help. Everything else was her own contribution. Once it was all done she decided to have a small party. Everyone who helped in any way was invited. The carpenter, the old couple next door, her friends and others. Shiina made food, plenty of tea and bought several bottles of sake from a local brewer. It was a nice gathering that lasted all day until late at night. Most of her guests had left by then, so it was only the three of them sitting outside on the engawa that surrounded the house and enjoying the warm tranquil night with the sake. After several cups of sake Hashirama began to recount old stories from their childhood that made her laugh so hard she teared up and even Madara cracked a smile. Shiina couldn't stop giggling and leaned heavily against Hashirama's side.

"Hashi..., oh god Hashi I'm gonna die," she giggled uncontrollably and wiped at her eyes. 

"Heh, yeah, and remember how it turned out?" He laughed. 

"The, haha, the stone ended up ricocheting!"

"Damn near hit me in the family jewels," he chuckled.

It sent her into another fit of uncontrollable laughter. Shiina wiped at her eyes as he took a sip of sake before he stretched out his legs. It was so incredibly nice to simply hang out with her old friends again like they used to as kids. She beamed at the tall brown haired man and lifted the almost empty sake bottle.

"More?"

"Ah, thanks, but I have to decline," he replied with a regretful smile. "Got a meeting with the delegation from Uzushiogakure tomorrow."

"Aaah," she drawled with a knowing grin. "Meeting the future wife, huh?"

Hashirama's smile grew a bit embarrassed at the mention. "I guess."

"What's Mito like?" She asked casually as she poured herself more sake. 

"Frankly, she's quite intimidating," he admitted. 

"Huh?"

"I mean, she's very beautiful and regal of course, but she always looks so strict. Way more than this guy over there," he said and nodded at Madara, who was staring off into the distance.

Shiina followed his gaze and blinked at the raven haired man, who looked like he was lost in his own thoughts. Even more strict than him? Knowing what a goofball Hashirama could be, it was hard to imagine him getting along with such a serious woman. 

"Well, maybe she'll thaw once you spend more time together," Shiina replied jokingly. 

"I hope so," he said with an awkward smile. "You know, I made a joke on our last meeting, but I guess she didn't get it since she just stared at me like I was crazy."

"Pfft!" Shiina laughed and turned towards Madara. "Easy to believe, right?"

At first it didn't seem like he realized she'd addressed him. Shiina smiled and gently jostled his side with her elbow. 

"Hello?"

"Hm?" He hummed and blinked slowly at her. 

Shiina's brows rose. It looked like alcohol made him even more reserved than he usually was. He looked totally out of it. 

"We were just talking about Hashirama's fiancee," she said. "He's scared of her."

"No I'm not!" Hashirama objected immediately. 

"Hn," said Madara as he slowly looked between them. 

Her stomach sank when his brows furrowed by an incriment. Right, he hated being excluded from conversations. 

"More sake?" She asked quickly. 

"Well, I'd better go home now," Hashirama said and began to stand up. 

"Already?" She asked unhappily and looked up at him. 

"Yeah. Thanks for inviting me. You guys have fun," he replied with a nod and strange little smile. 

"Good luck tomorrow," she replied with a small smirk. "Think of some better jokes."

"Hah, will do," he grinned and waved before he left. 

"I'd like some more sake now," Madara said quietly. 

Shiina hurried to oblige him and focused on what her hands were doing as she refilled his flat clay cup. He drank it way too quickly, which made her wonder what had gotten into him now. In fact he hadn't said a word during all the time Hashirama and her were joking around. 

"Something on your mind?" She asked and raised a brow at the way he chugged the sake. 

"Many things," he replied and put the cup down on the floor besides him. 

"Some more?" 

"Yes."

"My my," she stated wryly. "Wanna talk?"

"Now you're asking?"

"Come on. Don't be like that."

"I didn't want to interrupt the fun you were having."

"Really," she muttered unhappily and took a sip of her own cup. 

She really didn't like it when he got like this. It was almost like he resented how well Hashirama and her got along. What was she supposed to do? Not joke around with her best friend anymore? 

"Now would be a good time to explain yourself," she suggested mildly and kept her gaze on her clay cup as she set it down on the floor between them. 

"Hn. How annoying," he muttered.

It only made her heart sink even further. Why was it getting increasingly difficult to be around him? Shiina almost felt jealous of Hashirama. There appeared to be no issues between the guys. She kept trying and trying to keep things normal, but he kept behaving unreasonably. A long sigh escaped her and she scratched her forehead.

"Look, if you don't enjoy hanging out with me anymore just say so."

"That's not true," he replied instantly. 

Shiina just pressed her lips together and kept looking at the forest. "Yeah?"

"You are.. one of the few people that aren't tedious to be around."

"Okay," she replied in a small voice and felt her traitorous heart perk up. 

Shiina fiddled with the clay bottle. It was good stuff. Pure and went down smooth. Then she glanced at his now full, but untouched cup. With a small sigh she took it and held it out to him.

"Let's drink up and call it a night."

To her shock and surprise he simply put his hand over hers and guided the sake cup to his mouth. Her lips parted in surprise at the unexpected gesture. The sudden skin contact sent her heart racing and a surge of shyness made her want to snatch her hand back, but then again she didn't want to embarrass herself by spilling sake on him. 

"This sake is very good," he stated calmly after he finished and looked at her. 

"T-thanks," she stammered, unsure how to extract her hand now. 

Thankfully he opted to simply put the cup down and then released her, but the relief didn't last long. His long elegant fingers wrapped around the sake bottle and he poured the rest of it into her cup. The heat burning in her cheeks and neck were definitely the alcohol getting to her. Then he surprised her even more by taking her cup and lifting it to her face. Shiina stared at him with wide eyes. 

"What are you doing?" She whispered. 

"Drink," he huffed and lifted the cup to her mouth. 

A hot blush erupted all over her face when the rim of the cup touched her lips. What the hell! Her heart was hammering against her ribs while he just looked bored. Shiina decided that this was just some sort of weird prank and to get it over with. Madara's humor had always been sort of weird. So she rolled her eyes and obediently drank the sake, much quicker than she would've liked since he didn't give her a break. On the last gulp she got a bit of alcohol down the wrong pipe and started to cough. Shiina rubbed at her mouth with the back of her wrist and winced at the burn. 

"Ahh, damn," she sighed. "It takes a while, but this stuff really gets you.."

Everything was sort of hazy and her body was suffused in warmth. True enough, the sake was catching up with her fast. She leaned back on her hands and wriggled her feet, unbothered by the way he stared at the side of her face silently. That was just Madara being himself. When he wasn't delivering grand heartfelt speeches or arguing with Hashirama he generally didn't talk a lot. Shiina'd gotten used to it. 

"I wonder what Hashi's girl is like," she mused idly. "If she's really that scary. Isn't it sad, though? Arranged marriages, I mean."

"Why do you care?"

"Why? Well cause I like and care for him. We're friends, remember?" She laughed. 

He let out a loud, aggrieved sigh that made her glance at him warily. Madara looked pissed all of a sudden. It made her turn fully towards him. His eyes narrowed at her. 

"Just admit that you love him already!!!" 

Shiina blinked, both at the absurd accusation and the volume of his voice. The sake must have hit him harder than she thought. 

"I'm not in love with Hashirama," she stated calmly. "He's my brother and so are you."

Her intent had been to defuse the situation, but it only made him go from looking angry to utterly crestfallen. While Shiina's brain sluggishly tried to come up with a reason why, he looked away and stood up with more coordination than he should possess in his state. Then he simply left without another word. Shiina let out a deep sigh and elected to lie down flat on the engawa, feeling too out of it to move. She turned her head to the side to watch the stars spin lazily in front of her eyes.

"Boys are weird," she muttered into the silence of the night.

Especially if their name was Uchiha Madara. He was the king of weird. Why did she even like him so much? Shiina closed her eyes against the spinning and recalled the feeling of his hand around hers. It was all the little things about him, of course. His caring and kindness that didn't disappear even after all he'd lost. The way he looked in the moonlight, all pale skin and shadows. She'd been harboring this little crush for years now, so that wasn't going anywhere. Even with all his odd and baffling behavior.


	13. Chapter 13

The village kept growing over the course of summer. More and more houses sprung up everywhere like mushrooms. Everyone was always busy and Shiina helped where she could. It could get pretty lonely in her house so she often found herself wandering the streets of the village they called Konohagakure. Hashirama told her it was Madara's idea, which made her smile. It was a pretty obvious name, really, given that it was surrounded by forest on all sides. She met him regularly for little chats and it seemed that he and his wife were really warming up to each other. The Uchiha was rarely around, which bothered her a lot after a while. 

"Do you think he's found someone?" She asked plaintatively one afternoon as they walked down the street side by side. 

"Him? No, I don't think so," Hashirama replied curiously and shot her a look. "Why?"

"I haven't seen that guy since my house warming party."

"Really? Well, I hear he's been helping out around the village a lot."

"That would make sense."

The little gears in his head were turning, it was plain to see. Shiina eyed him warily from the side. Though he was a goofball and really extroverted it was at times harder to tell what he was thinking than it was with Madara. They walked past a wooden notice board, which she scanned out of habit. Shiina actually stopped mid-step when she saw a bounty posted on it. 

"Really?!" She exclaimed and pulled off the poster. "What the hell! There's been a crime already?"

"Huh?" He asked and looked down at it over her shoulder. 

"Damn," she sighed in disappointment. 

"Ah. Yes. I suppose something like this was bound to happen sometime," he said quietly. 

A guy named Kawaharu Mizuki had a bounty of five thousand ryo on his head for stealing another man's savings and making off into the woods with them. A small frown grew on her face and she crumpled the poster in her fist. 

"I'm going after him," she decided. 

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she frowned and gave him a curt nod. 

"Fine. Just.. be careful," Hashirama sighed. 

"Yeah yeah, don't worry about me," she said and waved over her shoulder before she left him there and marched back to her house. 

In such a peaceful town she'd stopped wearing her sword at all times. It had its resting place in a wooden trunk at the foot of her futon. This didn't sit right with her. It shattered her illusion of Konoha being an idyllic haven. That was why she resolved to catch that guy as quickly as possible. Because she really truly wanted the others to be able to live under that illusion just a bit longer. Peace was the most precious thing a lot of them possessed. Their peace was worth fighting for. Shiina's expression settled into grim determination as she opened the trunk and grabbed Senkai. The sword sent a ripple of anticipation through her. It had been a while. Shiina gripped it with both hands and looked up with resolve painted on her face. She was going to protect Konoha's peace at all costs. Because this was her home now. Because its people mattered to her. She slung the sheathed sword on her back and stood up. It would be a test to see if she still had it. A protector couldn't grow too complacent. She'd work behind the scenes to ensure that no other bounties had to be put out. Shiina left her house and headed into the forest. 

According to the wanted poster that guy had headed north when he was last spotted. It was a good thing that she still remembered all the hidden paths and hideouts she'd ever seen. The longer it took to find that scum the angrier she got at him for shattering her illusion of peace. When she finally found a guy who matched the description he was drunk off his ass and passed out on the floor of an abandoned hunter's hut. There was no trace of the stolen savings, but plenty of empty bottles. Shiina was abruptly overcome with rage. How dare he steal an innocent's savings to feed his own selfish desires! How dare he not even be worried about the consequences! This was clearly just some low level scum. Not even worthy of feeding Senkai. Shiina slowly slid the blade out of its sheath anyway. 

It was getting late when she returned to the village with a sack slung over her shoulder. It was stained red and brown. She ignored the villagers' curious looks and calmly made her way down the street and towards the Hokage's office at the bottom of the steep northern cliff. Nobody bothered her as she went inside and beagn to look for Hashirama's office. She knocked three times before she entered. The brown haired man and the Uchiha were currently engaged in a conversation by the large windows. Both of them looked up when she entered. She kept a blank face as she went inside and dumped the sack on the floor. Hashirama's eyes widened slightly. 

"I've come to collect a bounty," she stated calmly. 

Madara's brows furrowed as he looked her over with a mildly concerned expression, but she ignored him for the moment. 

"Ah. Yes," Hashirama replied stiffly and opened a drawer in his desk. "Five thousand ryo."

She accepted the small pouch he handed her and nodded at them both. "Thank you."

What did it matter if they saw what her job entailed? She stubbornly refused to feel anything but righteous satisfaction at a job well done. She fixed her eyes on a visibly uncomfortable Hashirama.

"Who was the person he robbed?" She asked and nodded at the sack on the floor between them.

"Itou Kei," he replied after a glance at his papers. 

"I see," she replied and turned around. 

"Shiina-"

She ignored them and left the office. With finding her new purpose came a startling mental clarity she hadn't felt since she left the order. It allowed her to seperate her own emotional tumoil from what really needed to be done. She asked her way across the village until she came to a small house with a lovingly kept garden. From inside she could hear two voices arguing with each other. 

"-have to!"

"But Kei, where will we sleep if you sell our futon?!" A woman asked desperately. 

"It'll only be until I find work," he replied soothingly. "Akira needs to eat and so do we!"

"I still can't believe we were robbed. This place was supposed to be safe," the woman said angrily. 

Shiina knocked politely against their front door. A harried looking man opened and looked down at her curiously. 

"Can I help you?" He asked. 

Shiina presented the pouch to him with a bright smile. "Here. I believe this was taken from you."

"What?" He exclaimed in surprise.

His eyes widened when he picked up the pouch. The color drained from his face when he tugged at the string and peered inside. Then he closed it and tried to hand it back.

"No, this must be a mistake. This is way more than what was stolen from us."

"Take it," Shiina insisted calmly. "Consider it recompense for the grief the robber caused you."

"Seriously?! There's no way I can accept that!" He objected. 

"Keep it," she replied with a small smile. "And know that Konoha takes care of its own."

"But...," he trailed off and looked down at the pouch in his hands. "Are you serious?"

"Very."

"Alright. I won't lie, we really need the money," he sighed. "My wife's got another child on the way and I haven't been able to find work yet. A-anyway, thank you so much. May I ask your name?"

"It's Iroi Shiina."

"Thank you, Iroi-sama," he burst out and bowed deeply. 

"No need for the honorfic," she laughed. "Good luck with your child."

"We'll name it after you if it's a girl," he said when he straightened back up. 

"Oh come on!"

"It's the least I can do," he replied with a brilliant smile. 

Shiina chuckled and shook her head. "That's really not neccessary. Knowing that your faith in the village is restored is all the reward I need."

"Definitely," he said and nodded quickly. 

"Great," she replied with a smile and bowed curtly. "Please take care and don't hesitate to come to your leaders if there's another problem."

"Thank you again! I will," he replied with a wondrous smile. 

She smiled, waved at him and left. As she walked out of their frontyard her eyes slid to the side and her smile grew a little fonder. 

"Did you see everything you came to see?"

Madara appeared out of the shadows and fell into step with her. Though he hid it well he was obviously consternated at being caught. Even when masking his chakra signature she'd grown so familiar with it that she could still pick it out. Meeting like this was slightly odd, but she mostly felt glad to see him again. 

"Why did you do it?"

"I am a bounty hunter," she replied plainly. 

"Hn."

Shiina sighed and looked down the street. "I wanted to give them back some of the peace they'd lost. This place... Konohagakure.. is a safe haven in a cruel world. That peace is something worth protecting and fighting for. That's what I want to do. And who knows, maybe someday the entire world can be like this," Shiina said and stretched her arms above her head with a content smile. "It's a dream worth fighting for."

"I see," he replied quietly. "That's a noble dream. Thank you for sharing it with me."

"Heh," she huffed and dropped her arms at her sides. "So what have you been up to?"

"Helping out."

"With construction?"

"Various things."

Shiina grinned up at him and he looked back with the carefully blank expression he always wore when he wanted to hide what he was thinking or feeling. It was getting worse, it definitely was. Just having him next to her was filling her with a mix of giddy joy and happiness. 

"This village is almost finished, isn't it?" She asked and looked around. "Most of the houses are standing now. Once it's all done we should have a big celebration."

"A party?"

"Yeah. Or maybe it could be a festival!" 

"Hn, I'm sure Hashirama will love the idea," he replied and crossed his arms. 

"Because it's a good one," she retorted smugly. "We could even make it an annual thing to celebrate the founding of the village."

Hashirama was instantly on board with the idea as soon as she proposed it. His younger brother Tobirama seemed less enthusiastic about it, but that was probably just his personality. He was the exact polar opposite of his brother and not just looks-wise. From what she gathered in their few interactions he was a very tactical guy who always kept an eye on the bigger picture and had the unthankful job of managing his older brother. She really didn't envy him for that. Everything aside, both of them agreed that it would be a big boost to everyone's morale to have a community event. It would also serve to strenghten the ties between the new neighbours. After a couple weeks of careful planning the project was well underway. They'd made room in the outskirts of the village and everybody worked together on the preparations. Some people were building the wooden stalls, others were preparing the foods and games they intended to sell. Some people were tasked with organizing tables and chairs while others who were musically inclined rehearsed songs together. It was beautiful to see them all so united in a single goal.


	14. Chapter 14

Shiina stayed home on the day the festival started. For some reason she didn't feel like joining in on the festivities she helped prepare. Even after a few months of living in Konoha, as the village was dubbed affectionately, she couldn't shake the odd feeling of not fitting in. A lot of people knew who she was now since she was frequently spotted with Hashirama and Madara, which didn't really help. She didn't consider herself lonely by any means, but seeing how other people her age were all making a big deal out of who was asking out who to the festival and she not getting a single invitation was kind of a bummer. So far she hadn't been approached by a single guy and there were plenty of young men living around here. While not overly sad about it, considering her crush, she still felt a little put off. 

While she was on a walk around the village, some might say casually patrolling to make sure no one took advantage of the many unguarded houses, she actually ran into said crush. Maybe he'd had a similiar idea since he didn't look like he was in a particular hurry to get anywhere. 

"Evening," she said with a smile. "You're not going to the festival?"

"No," he replied slowly as they walked side by side. "You're not going either, I take it."

Shiina shrugged. "Nobody's asked me out."

"Does that bother you?"

"No. Yeah. Maybe," she conceded and looked down at the street. "I'm not that scary, am I?"

"No," he snorted. 

"Hah, thanks," she grinned. "So why aren't you going?"

"Somebody has to make sure that the village is safe while everyone is celebrating."

"My thoughts exactly," she replied and shot him a smile. "Leave it to me, Madara. Go and have some fun. God knows you deserve it."

"Hn," he huffed and averted his gaze. "No thanks."

"Why not?"

"Last week," he began unwillingly. "I recieved an anonymous letter. A love letter, if you will."

"Really?!" She exclaimed with wide eyes. 

Dismay flashed over his face before it returned to neutral. "Yes."

"Did you find out who sent it to you?"

"No and I'm not interested in doing so."

She snorted and shook her head with an amused grin. He crossed his arms with an almost petulant look in his eyes. 

"Come on. You could've had a date for the festival by now! What about your future, huh?" She asked teasingly. 

"Hn," he huffed and looked away. 

"But seriously, you should have some fun. Loosen up that frown," she said as she poked his arm. 

"No."

"Stubborn," she sighed, before an idea suddenly hit her.

A brilliant, albeit risky and outrageous idea. Shiina swallowed and gathered her courage. If this went wrong.. If he said no.. It could make things very awkward. On the other hand this was a prime opportunity to do something about the affection that had nested under her breastbone for such a long time. The longer she thought about it the surer she grew that taking acting would be the best thing she could do. So she swallowed hard, rubbed the back of her neck and looked to the side.

"Alright, I'll go to the festival with you!"

That was absolutely the worst- God damn-! Shiina tried hard not to panic and erupted in a blush that even went down her neck. She held her breath and waited for the verdict. 

"Are you suggesting-"

"Yep," she cut in quickly. "Let's just go check it out. Could be fun."

"Hm, I see," he muttered and looked around with a slightly lost expression. "I suppose there's no harm in it."

That wasn't exactly an enthusiastic answer, but better than anything she'd been expecting. The tension in her shoulders subsided and she ran a hand through her hair. Since it almost went down to her lower back now, and she didn't know a thing about styling it, she mostly wore it loose. She let out a small laugh.

"It's not like I have a fancy kimono or anything, so I'm good to go. Do you want some time to get ready?"

"What for?" He asked and blinked owlishly. 

"Nothing," she muttered. "Let's go, then."

Well this was just great, she thought in exasperation. Still, him saying yes was something. They'd really outdone themselves with the decorations. There were colorful paper lanterns and candles everywhere. The people looked so happy and carefree that it made her smile softly. She set eyes on the nearest booth, which had a big wooden basin filled with water and apples bobbing on the surface. A sign promised a prize for the person who could fish out ten apples in a minute. Shiina tugged at Madara's arm and pointed at the game stall. 

"Hey, let's try this!" She suggested brightly. "Seems fun!"

"Fine," he replied and obediently followed her to the booth. 

As soon as there was a free spot she knelt down and attempted to get a hold of the apples without using her hands, but it was tricker than expected. Most of the time she just got a mouthful of water. People laughed and cheered as the younger kid next to her caught an apple between his teeth. It wasn't fair! Her mouth wasn't that big! 

"Haaa, I give up," she sighed and sat back on her haunches once time was up. 

Madara raised a brow in amusement when she grinned up at him. "That wasn't very successful."

"Nope, but it was fun. Wanna try?"

"No thanks."

"Aw, come on. Relax," she said after she'd stood up and they continued on their way. "Let's get you some sake at the bar."

"No thanks," he repeated quickly and made a face. "Last time it gave me a headache."

"Really?" She asked curiously. "I didn't feel any worse the next day."

"How lucky," he muttered. 

Shiina's eyes lit up when the landed on the next stall. "Hey, let's go goldfish scooping!"

"Alright."

It was a stall run by one of the carpenter's wives. She smiled and waved them closer to a free spot at the large basin. Dozens of tiny white and orange goldfish were flitting about. Some were brown, others pure white. An excited grin grew on her face when the elderly lady handed them their scoops. They were traditionally made with thin paper, which made the game all the more exciting as it could break easily upon water contact. A determined frown grew on Madara's face as he dipped his scoop into the water. Shiina grinned to herself and felt happy that it seemed like he was starting to slowly unwind. Then she dipped her scoop into the water and bit the inside of her cheek. She hadn't actually done this before and gauging the force needed not to break the delicate scoop was difficult. She had her eyes on a particularly pretty goldfish littered with orange dots, but it was fast and kept flitting away. The kids at either side of them didn't seem to have such problems. It was kinda hilarious that they were the only adults doing this, but she didn't care. As a child she didn't get to experience any fun games like this. 

"Ah!" She muttered when her scoop finally gave out, just as she was about to catch the fish. "Daaamn."

"Better luck next time," the old lady said with a sympathetic smile. 

"Mou, I really wanted that fish," she pouted and glanced at Madara. "Huh!?"

He'd caught five fish already. How?! Shiina watched in amazement as he moved the scoop through the water with an utterly focussed expression. 

"My my, you sure have a delicate touch," the old lady laughed. 

A small triumphant smile was on his face when he suddenly lifted his scoop and quickly put the last fish into his basin. Then the scoop promptly disintegrated. Shiina grinned at the proud gleam in his eyes.

"Whoooa, that was amazing. You've got hidden talents!" She laughed and patted his arm. 

He smiled very slightly as he handed his bowl over and the lady filled the fish into a small bag. "Naturally."

"Heh, guess there's no point in being humble, eh?" She snickered as he recieved his bag. "Now you've got six pet fish."

Madara regarded the bag with a neutral expression. "I really don't have time for pets."

"Ah?"

He glanced at her fleetingly before he abruptly stuck his hand with the bag out. Shiina watched the fish swim around and blinked in surprise when she spotted the fish she'd wanted inside. It made her heart rate pick up speed and she glanced shyly up at him from under her lashes. 

"Take it," he said with a carefully neutral expression. 

"Wow. Thanks," she murmured as she took the bag from him. "That's.. Thanks."

"It's just fish," he said and looked away. 

"Still!" She said and grinned brightly before she casually linked arms with him. "That's really nice of you. I appreciate it."

He huffed, but looked secretly pleased from what she saw when she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. It did funny things to her insides. Shiina watched the small fish and smiled to herself. A slight change in direction made her look up. Madara was steering them towards a booth that had guns. 

"Hm, what's this?"

"A game," he deadpanned. 

Shiina rolled her eyes and grinned up at him. "Obviously."

"You shoot down the prize you want. Simple enough."

"Oh," she muttered and looked at the toy guns. "Right."

"What's wrong?"

"It's just.. I have horrible aim," she laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck. 

"But you're a samurai?"

"Yeah, so? We don't toss weapons around!" She said and tried to will down her blush. 

"No, I guess you don't," he replied with amusement. 

"Tch! Give me a gun! I'll do it!" She said determinedly and picked up one of the surprisingly heavy toy guns. 

It was completely unfamiliar. Shiina wasn't lying, samurai weren't exactly taught to toss kunai and shuriken about. Except in emergencies, but even when they had that small lesson she'd been awful at it. She closed one eye, poked her tongue out of the corner of her mouth and aimed. The cork bullet went ricocheting off the ceiling beam, as she'd drastically underestimated the recoil. 

"Whaaat?!" She whined while both, the stall keeper and Madara laughed at her. 

"Try again," the stall keeper suggested. "For free, since that was just pitiful."

"Hmph!"

Shiina pouted at the wall of prizes that had been stacked up at the back of the stall. They were mostly small things put together by volunteers. One necklace wrapped around a small wooden block caught her eye. It was made of small silver links and made her wonder who'd put it there. 

"Right!" She said and furrowed her brows with determination. "I'm gonna get that! Just watch me!"

She planted her feet on the ground, rested the butt of the rifle against her shoulder and aimed carefully. And then only missed it by a bit. 

"Ughhhh," she groaned and lowered the rifle. "I suck at this."

"Your aim is all wrong," Madara said critically. "You're holding it up too far."

"How do you know?" She asked back. 

"Hn, just listen to me."

"Fine," she muttered. "How am I supposed to hold it, then?"

"A bit like this," he said and adjusted her grip.

"But I did that!"

"No, lower."

"But-!"

Madara let out an annoyed huff and grabbed both of her arms from behind. It made Shiina forget to breathe. He was just right there! And he adjusted all of her positioning. She swallowed hard as she took aim and tried to focus. 

"Lower the nozzle a bit," he muttered next to her ear. 

Shiina nodded jerkily and aimed. This time it actually hit. "I did it!" She exclaimed in surpised delight when the wooden block fell of the stand. 

"Congrats," Madara replied dryly and stepped away. 

The stall vendor laughed and went to fetch the block. Shiina grinned broadly when he handed her the necklace. 

"Ha," she stated contently and let the delicate links run through her fingers. "Nice."

"Let me help," Madara said and held out his hand. 

"Oh. Sure," she blinked and handed it over. 

It made her poor abused heart jump again when he stepped behind her and put the necklace around her neck. When his fingers brushed her skin she tried hard to suppress a shudder. Once the small necklace rested securely over her collarbones she exhaled and grinned happily. 

"This is pretty great, huh?" She asked merrily.

"It is," he conceded. 

"Are you having fun?"

"Yes," he said. 

"Ha, that's good," she grinned and linked arms with him again. "Let's grab some food now."

Several food stalls offered their wares on each side of the road. It was so difficult to settle for any single item that she just had to grab both, a candy apple and cotton candy. 

"Ah, this is the greatest festival ever!" She declared after taking a bite of her apple. 

Madara ate his grilled chicken without comment, but he looked a lot more relaxed than before. The grumpiness and pinched look was completely gone and he might even be having fun. No matter how colorful the surroundings were, her gaze was constantly drawn back to him. It was strange. Her heart alternated between swelling up and fluttering excitedly. What was definitely undeniably true was that it was more than a crush. Shiina ate her candy apple and grappled with the realization. It really changed a lot of things. 

They spent some more time walking along the road and looking at everything the festival had to offer. A lot of people recognized Madara, but few of them dared to do more than smile and wave. She kept their arms linked and marvelled at how nice that felt. Suddenly she spotted Hashirama surrounded by a group of other people. There was a tall woman at his side with flaming red hair in two buns and a stern expression on her face. She wore a fancy kimono with a floral pattern on it. He was joking with the crowd while she seemed to silently observe. Shiina squeezed Madara's arm and nodded excitedly towards them.

"Look!" She said with wide eyes and a gleeful grin. "It's Hashirama and his woman!"

"His what?" Madara asked and his nose scrunched up a little when he followed to where she was pointing. "Ah."

"Wanna go say hi?" She asked mischievously. 

"I don't care about her," he stated bluntly and attempted to walk away, pulling at her arm insistently. 

"Why not?"

"Women bore me," he replied with a longsuffering expression. 

"Oh, is that so."

He glanced down at her quickly. "That is to say... You don't."

Shiina chuckled. "So you don't see me as a woman, is that it?"

"No."

"Then what is?" She asked patiently. 

He let out a long sigh and looked away. "Weak people aren't worth paying attention to."

"So what about the villagers?"

"'Konohagakure' is an idea," he explained quietly as they started to leave the thick of the crowd. "A manifestation of Hashirama's and my childhood dream. A lot of hope hinges on its success."

Shiina listened to him talk in mute awe. It had been a long time since he revealed that many of his thoughts to her. What hadn't changed was how different they were. Madara's brain worked in funny ways. He thought in lofty ideas and concepts like some sort of philosopher, rather than a soldier. It was a striking reminder just how above everybody else's level he was, both in terms of physical strenght and intelligence. 

"We're overseeing what is basically a social experiment. Hashirama believes that people can live together peacefully of their own volition. I think that guards and rules are neccessary to enforce harmony. The world wouldn't be such a bitter place if people genuinely wanted peace."

"Mh, you're rather pessimistic. It's understandable, though," she said quietly as they started making their way towards Shiina's home. 

"So if you understand that means you agree?"

"I don't think humans are born evil," she said and patted his arm gently when she felt it tense. "These changes you speak of will take time. If the peace lasts, perhaps the next generation will be more peaceful. And the next even more so."

"Then you're just as naively optimistic as Hashirama," he replied quietly. "Human nature is unchangeable. As long as there are people there will be conflict."

She regarded her surroundings thoughtfully. There was no changing his mind when he was this dead set on an idea. Gossip had it, and she'd seen once for herself, that he and Tobirama didn't get along at all. The younger Senju had a real grudge against clan Uchiha. Not to mention that Tobirama was the one who killed his beloved little brother. It was clearly still an open wound. After all those horrific experiences it was no wonder that Madara carried some form of trauma that made him think so negatively about everything. It was definitely high time to add something positive into his life. When they arrived at the edge of her home she turned to face him with a nervous smile. The full moon had already risen and was illuminating everything brightly. It made his pale skin look almost translucent and cast the right half of his face in shadow, aided by his long bangs. Weird how somebody could be both, so dark and so bright. 

"Thanks for going to the festival with me. I had a lot of fun."

"It was nice," he agreed slowly and glanced down the road. 

"Hey, get down here, I have to tell you something," she said calmly and made a beckoning motion.

"What is it?" He asked curiously as he bent down. 

Shiina sucked in a small breath, gathered her courage and stood up on her toes to kiss him. It was quick and innocent, just a soft meeting of lips, but it still nearly made her heart explode. She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the side when their noses bumped. Madara didn't respond. He just froze up. When she drew back and sunk down on her feet her face was burning up. She glanced up shyly and felt her eyes widen in horror. 

"Hi-hiya!" She squeaked and tensed at the sight of two glowing red eyes staring down at her, with three rapidly spinning black tomoe each. "I.. I'm sor-!"

"Again," he demanded firmly. 

Shiina gulped hard and glanced between his eyes uncertainly. His face had never been so blank before. Was he mad?! Did she do it wrong?! She let out a shaky breath and fiddled with her fingers. What was the use? She got up on her toes again and hesitantly leaned in. This kiss was even lighter and more innocuous than the last. She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped that it wasn't a mistake. This time he did react. Both of his arms suddenly wrapped around her back like a steel trap. Shiina exhaled through her nose in surprise at how tightly he was squeezing her. It took some effort to move her arms in this embrace and she managed to wriggle her hands onto his chest. 

"Mh- hm-rr!" She tried to say and pushed insistently. 

He drew back, loosening his grip, and stared at her with something like horror. "Shiina?! I'm-"

"Shut up," she croaked, wrapped her now free arms around his neck and pulled him down. 

The third time was somehow even better. Now it didn't bother her at all how he pressed her close. Blood was rushing in her ears, her heart was jumping with joy and she was pretty sure she'd never been this happy before. He liked it! He definitely- arms wrapped around her tight, sliding his lips against hers eagerly, so warm so nice- liked it. This was far better than anything she could've ever imagined in her furtive dreams. It felt so good and right that she could cry. Love, she thought in joyous disbelief, this was definitely love. 

When he finally pulled away she felt boneless and unspeakably happy. Shiina stared at him and he looked back with those spinning, softly glowing eyes. A soft noise escaped her and she touched his left cheek. 

"Madara.. do, um, do you want to- to come inside for a drink?" She asked with a sheepish grin. 

"No," he replied instantly. 

"A-ah?" 

"I will only do this properly," he added more softly and slid a hand around the back of her neck. "You deserve no less. Shiina, I want to court you."

"Yes," she said instantly, before his words really registered and her eyes flew open. "Wait, what?!"

"No takebacks," he said quickly with a small smile, but his eyes darted between hers.

"O-oh," she mumbled and swallowed hard, because her eyes started to sting for some reason. "Okay."

"Unless you-"

"No!" She cut in quickly and rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. 

"Let me-"

"No takebacks!" She interrupted loudly and beamed up at him. 

Madara started to chuckle. She wasn't sure what just happened, but courting had to be a good thing, right? It had to be some fancy clan-folk word. 

"Very well," he said with a secretive little smile and started to let go. 

She frowned at the sudden loss of contact. Now that wasn't okay! She grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled until he bent down before she kissed him insistently. His hands landed on her shoulders before they slid up to the sides of her face. That was better. She accidentally opened her mouth a little too wide, so did he and before she knew what was happening their tongues were touching. It sent a fissure of heat down to her bones and dragged a needy noise out of her. 

"Come inside," she whispered hotly against his lips once they parted to breathe, unwillingly and not very much. 

"It's not.. proper," he murmured slowly. 

"Damn propriety," she muttered back.

"That would be dishonorable. And.. taint your reputation. It could.. cost us the clan's approval."

"Huh?" She frowned in confusion. "Why would they care?"

He exhaled slowly through his nose and closed his eyes as if to gather his thoughts. "Clans are not normal families, Shiina. They've got their own beliefs, customs and traditions. As I am the head of clan Uchiha now, it's expected that I especially uphold these things."

"Uh huh," she muttered and stared hungrily at his lips. 

"Don't make it harder than it has to be," he whispered before he stole a quick kiss. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this."

"Really?" She mumbled and glanced up at his eyes. 

"Yes."

"How long?"

"That's for another time," he said in a regretful tone and pulled back entirely. 

"I'm seriously curious now," she insisted and reluctantly let go when he took a step back. 

Madara lifted a hand and cupped the side of her face with a small smile. It made her expression soften and she leaned into his palm. 

"A long, long time," he told her quietly. 

"Yeah, I," she began and cleared her throat, unable to stop smiling. "Years."

"Yes," he breathed and glanced between her eyes. 

She bit her lower lip and beamed at him. "Court me. Right now."

"It's not that simple," he replied and raised a brow in amusement. "It takes time."

"Pah!" She exclaimed and crossed her arms. 

"The end goal is clear, though," he pointed out. 

"So what is the goal, hm?" She asked and tilted her head to the side. 

"Sharing our future."

"Ah," she breathed and promptly felt her eyes sting. "R-really? You want ..that? With.. me?"

"Yes. Yes," he repeated firmly and went in for another crushing hug. 

"Even though I'm a woman?" She tried to joke in a small voice while blinking rapidly. 

"Not a woman. The woman."

"Augh!" She gasped and buried her face in his chest. "You're making me cry!"

"Shiina," he whispered softly. "I am not an easy man to love."

"But I do anyway," she muttered into his yukata. 

"You.. oh."

She pulled back slowly and looked up at him with determination. "And mark my words, that'll never change!" 

An incredibly soft, fond look grew on his face. More open and vulnerable than she'd ever seen him before. It all happened in a flash, but there was nothing on earth that she was more sure of than this. 

"I guess the cat's out of the bag now," she said haltingly and lowered her gaze. 

"My heart," he murmured fondly, which made her look up with a startled expression. "My dear lovely Shiina."

"My.. Madara," she whispered hotly. 

"Yes."

Shiina bit her lower lip and grinned broadly. "Can I call you darling now?"

It was hard to tell in the moonlight, but that might be a pink blush spreading across his cheeks. Madara nodded mutely and she reached up to frame the sides of his face. 

"Okay then... Kiss me, darling."

And he obliged all too readily. It was an addictive feeling to be wrapped up in this beautiful, wonderful man and kissing him like her life depended on it. It still felt unreal. He really wanted her. Her! When he could have chosen anyone. She never wanted to let go and going by his almost crushing grip, neither did he. 

"Hey, why are your eyes like that? Spinning, I mean," she asked once they parted and brushed her thumb over his cheekbone. 

"That's the Sharingan," he said and closed his eyes with a concentrated expression. "I'll turn it off."

When he opened them again, his eyes were back to their usual onyx color. Fascinating how they could do that. Shiina smiled happily and got up on her toes. She tapped her lower lip and raised a brow expectantly. 

"I should really be leaving before we're seen," he said slowly as he leaned down. 

"They should get used to it. Because... I wanna kiss you a whole lot more," she murmured against his mouth. "Kinda wanna spend my life kissing you."

It was fascinating to watch his eyes turn red again right in front of her. She smiled and sealed their lips together.


	15. Chapter 15

Courting, as Shiina soon learned, meant meeting the family and submitting to their judgement. Almost all Uchihas seemed to share the same brand of reservedness. The men especially were so similiar to Madara in their behavior that it was almost spooky. The women on the other hand could be quite amiable, especially the older ones. After she finished introducing herself to a huge amount of people she'd forgotten half their names, but thankfully she had a good memory when it came to faces. Amusingly enough, Madara kept such a blank face throughout the ordeal that she had no idea what he was thinking as she smiled and made smalltalk with all the aunts, uncles and cousins she met. It was mostly her doing the talking and laughing at her own jokes while they listened and glanced between them curiously. It was the oldest aunt he had, Fumiko-san, who offered them tea and dango in her little house at the edge of the compound at the end of the tour. Even in her old age her hair was still deep blue black and her onyx gaze alert. 

"So you and Madara, huh?" The old lady asked over the rim of her teacup. 

"Yup," Shiina replied happily and leaned against said man's side. 

"Don't you two make a curious pair."

"I guess," she chuckled warmly.

A large hand crept onto her lower back where it came to rest and Madara, being ambidextrous, held his teacup with his left hand. The brazen handsiness came out of nowhere and made her grin. He probably thought he was being subtle, but of course Fumiko noticed. 

"Hm," she said with a miniscule smile and a gleam in her eyes. "I'm glad. We all thought he'd remain a monk forever."

"Aunt Fumiko," he grit out.

"Ha, I can see why," Shiina laughed. 

Madara shot her a borderline betrayed look from the side. Fumiko-san chuckled. Shiina looked up at him and her smile softened. 

"I'm glad you chose not to remain a monk," she told him fondly. 

His eyes widened and darted towards the older woman. "Shiina!"

"What?" She asked innocently and tilted her head to the side. 

"That's not... You shouldn't..," he muttered and carefully avoided looking at aunt Fumiko.

"More tea?" Fumiko-san asked dryly. 

"Yes please," Shiina replied and smiled at the older woman. "It's very good. What kind is this?"

"Green tea from our own field."

"You cultivate green tea?" She asked curiously. 

"Indeed. It's the Uchiha special blend."

"Wow."

"It's said to have health benefits and to preserve one's youthful appearance."

"Well, looking at you I can certainly believe that."

"Hah, thanks," she chuckled and poured her more tea. "I like you, girl. You carry your heart on your sleeve and it's a good one."

"Thanks," Shiina replied with a small smile. 

"Wouldn't you agree, boy?"

"Yes," Madara replied with quiet conviction. 

Shiina grinned and relaxed against his side in a way that way anything but casual. It was impossible to resist the way her heart -no, every single cell of her entire body- was drawn, drawn drawn to him all the time. Fumiko-san smiled at them. 

"I'm happy for you both. Finding a love this strong is a rare and precious thing indeed."

Smiling happily, Shiina rested her head against his upper arm. Madara's hand crept across her back until it came to rest on her right hip. 

"My intention is clear," he stated calmly. 

"Obviously."

"As the clan elder, would you give your approval?"

"Would it change a damn thing if I didn't?" Fumiko asked with a knowing smile.

"The clan's approval-"

"Come now, boy, I have known you since you were born."

"Hn," Madara huffed petulantly. 

"The only thing that's changed since you were put in charge is your hair," she said and eyed him critically. "If only you'd let me trim it a little!"

Shiina snorted and quickly hid a laugh behind her hand. 

"No thanks."

"It's even longer than your wife's! Doesn't it get in the way when you're out and about?"

Shiina stopped laughing and blushed. That was.. that was where they were headed, wasn't it? She glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. A small smile grew on his face when he noticed her looking and it was enough to make her bury her burning face against his arm. 

"Ohh," Fumiko-san drawled when it lifted and wrapped snug around the middle of her back. 

"I- I'm sorry, I just-" she mumbled weakly. "I really can't wait!"

"So impatient," he muttered softly. 

"That's that, then. If you would like help with the preparations for the ceremony-"

"What, but-"

"-have to ask Sumire to start working on the flower wreaths, oh, and maybe Ichigo can make the deserts, his wife says he's got talent for making mochi-"

"Aunt Fumiko, I haven't even-"

"-should work with any color of wedding dress-" Fumiko-san prattled on, totally ignoring his objections. 

"-not even finished courting-"

"Who cares, who cares! Don't be so formal, boy. Nobody's gonna judge you for jumping the gun with this one. Not if they have eyes, that is! Hah!"

"See?" Shiina muttered and peeked up at him. 

Madara exhaled slowly and looked down at her with such an adoring look that it almost made her cry. Almost. She slowly put her hands on his chest and smiled so broadly her cheeks hurt. 

"Fine. No more wasting time," he said softly. 

"Madara.. you.. you make me so happy," she choked out and blinked rapidly when the feelings got her after all. 

His eyes darted towards aunt Fumiko briefly before they settled on her. Shiina bit the inside of her cheek and blinked frantically. Then he surprised her by framing the sides of her face and kissing her deeply. She grabbed a hold of his shoulders and sniffled. There was a rustle as Fumiko-san stood up.

"I will go make more tea," she stated matter-of-factly. 

"Ungh... I'm sorry.. I pro-probably embarrassed you," Shiina muttered and wiped at her eyes when he drew back. 

"Nonsense."

"She left..."

"To make tea," he replied stubbornly.

Shiina glanced between his eyes before she shot a look at the closed sliding door. Making a decision, she then got up on her knees and shuffled towards him. Madara's arms wrapped around her back and she leaned heavily against him for another kiss. It was easy to loose track like that, so when the door opened she twitched and blinked in surprise. 

"Hmph! You're still going at it?" Fumiko-san asked as she carried a tray with a teakettle and some dango sticks inside. "Youths!"

Shiina blushed furiously and sat back on her haunches with a sheepish smile. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, making her look up at him. Madara was smiling genuinely and contently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmm, I don't know... Looking at it now, this story seems to be going a bit too fast. Let me know if you think this has a pacing issue as well, or if I'm just imagening things... 
> 
> Oh, and: Despite what I just said the whole "Courting" thing is actually meant to happen so fast after last chapter. That was planned. Given the time period (Warring States Era = Medieval Japan) and the fact that they're both clearly on the same page just made me go "Yeah. Madara's a go-getter. Shiina sees they feel the same, so why waste time dancing around the issue? They've known each other for years already! (Girl's impatient, after all)"


	16. Chapter 16

Time seemed to pass by in a blur and before she knew it had happened they were sitting in front of the priest inside the Uchiha shrine. Shiina opened her mouth and breathed out a shaky "Yes" and then her eyes widened as the daze she'd been under the whole day suddenly lifted, being replaced with a fierce brilliant surge of love. She quickly covered her mouth with a hand to keep in the startled sob that wanted out and stared at the man seated on her right with huge eyes. He met her gaze with a smile that lit up his whole usually so stern face. Her chest constricted and Shiina felt close to loosing it with how deliriously happy she felt. He turned towards her a little more and inclined his head. Shiina quickly realized that she hadn't heard a word the priest just said. Knowing how adamant he was about his clan's rules and traditions, she bit the inside of her cheek and glanced between his eyes. Surely it wouldn't be a good sign if she somehow messed up the ceremony already. The priest coughed politely and Shiina felt her cheeks flush. What...? She glanced at the priest in hopes for a prompt, but when a warm finger suddenly tilted her chin up her gaze returned quickly to the man she loved with all her heart. More heat shot into her face when he leaned in and kissed her softly. Oh. So that was it. Feeling reassured she closed her eyes and relaxed. It was a shame that Hashirama and his wife couldn't be there, but rules were rules. Only Uchihas were allowed into the inner sanctum of the shrine. It was rather odd to kiss in front of such a large number of people she barely knew. Shiina fleetingly recalled being told by someone, probably Fumiko-san who'd taken a shine to her, that normal weddings weren't so big, but since Madara was to be the next clan leader everyone was present. 

The ceremony finished quickly and thankfully she wasn't really required to do anything else, since that would've been too much to ask of her that day. The ceremony was followed by a large banquet and then a party, where others from the village could finally attend if they wished to. Shiina remembered being teary eyed all the while and finally losing it when Hashirama, big goof that he was, grinned hugely and wrapped her up in a bear hug while jokingly thanking her for sharing the burden of wrangling Madara from then on. 

"Don't be silly," she replied shakily and laughed while wiping at her eyes. "It's not a burden at all!"

"Ha," he laughed and let her down after spinning her around once. "I knew it was only a matter of time!"

"You what?" She asked curiously and leaned against Madara's side when he casually put his arm around her back. 

"What are you two talking about?" He asked with a perfectly neutral look. 

Hashirama grinned brightly and pointed between them. "You two. It was bound to happen."

"What makes you say that?"

A small smile grew on her face at Madara's genuinely curious tone. Hashirama's grin turned slightly mischievous and he rubbed his chin. 

"Well, you probably thought you were being subtle all along, but that really wasn't the case."

Shiina chuckled into her sleeve. The taller brown haired man then turned to her with a teasing glint in his eyes.

"Luckily Shiina isn't the most observant person and subtlety isn't her forte either."

"Hey," she objected weakly. 

"It was funny at first, but then it grew increasingly bizarre how the two of you kept missing all the longing looks you sent each other. Mito agrees with me, so don't even try to argue."

"Mito noticed, too?" Shiina groaned.

The tall red haired woman was sort intimidating in her regality and flawlessness. She'd met her a couple times and always left feeling outclassed. 

"Yeah, Shiina. It was really hard to miss," he replied with a fond grin. "But I guess it all worked out regardless."

Shiina looked up at the tall raven haired man at her side. Her husband. The thought made her smile widen with adoration and awe. He looked so perfect in his navy blue formal yukata and she almost felt bad for curling her fingers in the fine cloth, but she needed something to hold onto before happiness made her float away. When he looked down at her the blasé neutrality all but vanished from his features, which softened instantly. 

"Hey," she murmured a bit unsteadily when Hashirama was momentarily distracted by the arrival of his younger brother. 

"What is it?" He replied softly. 

Her grip on his yukata tightened and she wished this moment of perfect bliss could last forever. His arm tightened around her back in response and he leaned down without prompting. The fact that he could so easily disregard the presence of a crowd of spectators and all the formality he was such a fan of for this truly spoke volumes about his feelings. It made her eyes sting once again and she quickly leaned in for a kiss. 

"Let's leave soon," she murmured in his ear after they parted. 

"Yes," he replied with a hint of relief. 

It didn't take much longer until they could make their excuses from the party and nobody begrudged them the decision. All the well-meaning smiles and knowing grins made her blush a bit, but ultimately she just felt relieved. Her emotions had been running high all day and she was sure it was the same for him. Madara was very good at masking his emotions, but she'd been reading his expressions for years now, so she could still tell that he was growing tired of socializing. He kept his arm around her the entire evening and its comforting weight anchored her. When he began to lead her away she caught the tail end of a conversation between the Senju brothers.

"Make sure that woman doesn't die."

"Shiina can handle herself," Hashirama replied calmly.

"Don't dismiss this, brother. You've seen it, haven't you?" Tobirama huffed. 

"Of course. It's impossible to miss," Hashirama replied fondly. 

"That woman may be the only thing that'll stop the Uchiha from turning on the village one day. She's a valuable asset."

"Always so cold. Cheer up, we're at a wedding party, brother!"

"Hn."

Shiina sighed softly and leaned her head against Madara's side as he led her away through the crowd. Tobirama certainly was a stick in the mud, but he had an amazingly analytical mind and was a brilliant tactician. The relationship between Madara and him was chilly, to put it mildly. He hadn't forgiven him for killing his brother and that would likely never change, but thanks to Hashirama they'd at least arrived at an armistice. Those were the kind of gloomy things she didn't want to think about today. As soon as they'd entered the clan compounds's main mansion where Madara lived she shucked off her wooden sandals and grinned hugely at the man. 

"What are you plotting?" He asked fondly as he removed his own shoes in a much more dignified manner. 

"You'll see," she replied airily and slipped out of his grasp. 

By then she'd been in the house a few times so she knew where he slept. It was a vast mansion, sparsely but tastefully decorated in a manner that befit an old warrior clan. By comparison her own little house looked much more lively. Shiina already had plans to change the decor a bit, but those could wait. For now she just wanted to end this perfect day in the best way she knew how. Shiina didn't wait after slipping into the bedroom and immediately started to unwrap her formal kimono. It was annoyingly difficult, as the obi gave her some trouble. She wriggled around until she could dump the entire thing on the floor, but then she felt guilty for treating the expensive marterial badly. On the other hand she was on a schedule, so she stuffed it into the wardrobe and resolved to fold it properly tomorrow. By the time Madara came in she was already lying under the covers naked and trying hard not to smirk. He stopped and blinked at her. 

"What are you doing?"

"Trying to sleep," she replied instantly and pushed up on her elbow, very aware of the way the thin covers slid down her bare chest and clung on for dear life. His eyes followed the motion, but otherwise he didn't react at all. They hadn't been intimate before and Shiina was eager to find out what he liked. 

"I see," he replied and turned his back on her as he began to undress.

Trying hard not to feel rejected, Shiina tried to calm herself by rationalizing that this was new for him, too. It was a huge sign of trust already that he even tolerated turning his back on her. Perhaps he needed a little push? She pulled the covers back up under her chin and watched with baited breath as he pulled out of the sleeves of the yukata. His pale skin was unmarred. As expected, she thought fondly. That carefully blank look was back on his face when he turned to face her again in all his naked glory. She almost drooled. Almost. Shiina grinned with embarrassment before she remembered her plan to seduce him. 

"Come here," she said and patted the mattress besides her. 

He merely inclined his head before he approached. When he stood besides the bed she swiftly pulled back the covers, baring her own naked body in the process. Her skin wasn't flawless. There were several old faded scars from battles long past. The one on her left upper arm had healed badly and left a rather broad white stripe of scar tissue and she didn't want to know what her back must look like. Her cheeks flushed and she cast her eyes down. The mattress dipped when he sat and then laid down besides her. Shiina quickly tossed the covers over them both and felt her pulse pick up with uncertainty. She tensed in surprise when he turned on his side, facing her, and put his arm over her middle before he pulled her flush against him. Her blush intensified like wildfire when she felt a hot hardness press against her stomach. Shiina shyly glanced up at him from under her lashes. Madara's eyes were smoldering with a mixture of adoration and desire. He kissed her forehead and then her mouth when she tilted her head up. 

"You are.. the most goddamn beautiful thing in the world," he murmured against her mouth. 

Shiina swallowed hard and had to blink rapidly when the raw honesty in his voice made her tear up. 

"Hey.. I.. Ungh. I love you so much," she replied shakily. "Madara, I.."

His arm shifted up and then he cupped the side of her face. His onyx gaze was intent as he looked deep into her eyes. Shiina wrestled with the urge to cry as she met his gaze and mostly won the fight when his thumb started to stroke her cheekbone. 

"I think I've always loved you," he muttered thoughtfully and without a hint of embarrassment. "Even when I still thought you were a boy. It.. made me question myself for a while."

"Sorry," she replied unhappily and frowned. "I didn't mean to-"

"Nevermind," he replied quickly. 

"No seriously, I realized you looked.. conflicted at times, but I didn't suspect it was because you thought you were in love with a boy."

He looked a bit consternated at that and Shiina smiled softly as she touched the side of his face. 

"So.. right from the start? When we met, or..?" She murmured curiously. 

He shifted and briefly glanced to the side. "I can't pinpoint the exact moment when I knew."

"Really," she said and stared at him. 

It was hard to believe that he didn't remember something like that after finding out that he had a really impressive memory that let him recall even the most minute details. A more plausible explaination was that he was still reluctant to lay all his cards on the table, not out of ill intent but out of lifelong habit. 

"Hm. For me I think it was the last time we wrestled," she said with an exaggeratedly thoughtful voice and grin. 

"Oh. That," he muttered. 

_They'd been thirteen at the time and he'd pinned her as usual. Shiina had tried to wriggle out of his grip and bucked her hips in an effort to throw him off, which had then resulted in her feeling something rather.. unusual.. poking at her. First he paled, then she'd seen Madara blush for the first time ever. He'd leapt up and ran away, leaving a very confused her with Hashirama, who nearly choked from laughter when she told him. It took several hours until Madara showed his face again and Shiina's just blinked owlishly in utter confusion when he angrily challenged her to a real fight. Their eyes met and he'd blushed again and looked obviously torn between running and standing his ground. In the end she'd just shrugged off the challenge despite his angry taunts and continued skipping stones with Hashirama, pretty much ignoring him. He'd kept standing there leaning against a tree and watching them while stewing in his own annoyance until Shiina grew fed up and grabbed his hand with a determined frown._

_"Sit down already, dumbass," she'd told him sternly and tugged on his hand._

_"Shiro," he'd just croaked out and his eyes had widened for some reason._

_"Sit," she repeated more softly. "Come here."_

_And he sat down rather stiffly besides her. Shiina tried engaging him in conversation, but he'd been even more monosyllabic than usual. Eventually she'd knocked shoulders with him and grinned brightly._

_"Come on, what's with you? It's okay," she sighed. "I forgive you."_

_"It's normal!" He snapped instantly. "It happens! This has nothing to do with y.. anything!"_

_"Yeah?" She asked curiously._

_"Well yeah! Of course!" He replied and stared her down as if daring her to challenge his words._

_Shiina's lips started to twitch. Madara could be so weird sometimes. A bit of an ass, too. It didn't change the fact that he was one of her two favorite people in the world. In fact, he intrigued her so much that he might just be... her favorite. Her grin started to fade as she stared at his annoyed expression, the furrowed brows and the small wrinkle above his straight nose. The downturn of his full lips and the determined look in his deep onyx eyes. For the first time it dawned on her that her best friend was really handsome. The realization came suddenly and hit her hard with something she wasn't familiar with: nerves._

_"Okay," she'd muttered and looked away, suddenly feeling inexplicably shy._

Shiina grinned happily and nodded. "It was the first time I really noticed how good you look."

"Hn."

"And I.. I guess I always liked you in a slightly different way than Hashirama," she muttered slowly. "I didn't understand why. But I think I get it now. It's why we're lying here."

"Because you chose me over him," he stated and started to pull her in for another kiss, but Shiina resisted gently.

"Wrong," she sighed and put her index finger over his mouth. 

He let out a questioning noise and his brows twitched. Shiina suddenly rolled them both around so she was lying on top of him. She put her hands and knees on the mattress besides him and stared him down. 

"There never was a choice. Hashirama's never been in the question," she told him flatly. "Get that stupid idea out of your head. There's always been just you, Madara. You're the only crush I've ever had."

"Is that so," he replied, looking rather mollified at her words. 

"Hm hm," she hummed and leaned in for a slow kiss. 

Very slowly she felt his warm hands sneak onto her hips and the sensation made her skin tingle. When she pulled away he inhaled deeply and looked her in the eye.

"Shiina, I would.."

"Yeah," she replied quickly and licked her lips as she felt her own arousal grow. 

Without warning he rolled her over and pinned her wrists down on the mattress. The familiarity of the situation made her smile. 

"Say, how many times have you thought about doing this?" She asked teasingly. 

His eyes widened slightly before he glanced away. Shiina chuckled and spread her legs to accomodate him better. Want pulsed slow and hot in her core.

"Often enough," he replied evasively before he looked back down at her with a familiar, unreadable dark gaze she'd felt upon her countless times. 

Her eyes widen in realization and excitement. "Oh! So that's what you were thinking when you looked at me like that!"

"Like what?"

"The look you're wearing right now," she giggled. 

"Perhaps," he conceded and shifted on top of her.

She felt his arousal again and it made her amusement fade. "Okay then.. I.. Let's.."

"I want you," he murmured hotly before he kissed her deeply. 

Shiina let out a shaky sigh through her nose and closed her eyes. His hands grabbed a hold of her thighs and spread them further. He certainly, definitely wasn't alone in that.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick update to this story! Have been working mainly on other projects, but I do want to finish this eventually!

What followed was without a doubt the best, most glorious year of Shiina's life. Being with Madara filled her heart with bottomless joy and love even if they merely sat side by side on the engawa and watched the sunset together. He often had to leave and go on missions for his clan or the village since keeping Konoha safe in a world that was still at war with itself and plenty chaotic took an effort. Though he told her that their surrounding nations seemed to adopt the idea of founding hidden ninja villages, which was an overall very positive development. Attacks on Konoha itself were practically non-existent now that the two most powerful ninja clans had forged an alliance. Her life within the compound was very peaceful as the women of the clan taught her how to do household chores. They were slowly warming up to her and Shiina did her best to act like a proper wife, though she sometimes secretely longed for a good battle. 

Being the clan leader's wife came with certain duties and expectations. Life within a clan was certainly very different to that within a normal family. Different interests within the clan's families existed, though she hardly ever heard them stated as people were careful with their words around her. Gossip was her only source of information, or the things she caught in passing. She knew that Madara didn't trust the -in his opinion momentary- peace with the Senju clan. So did the others as he didn't make a secret of his belief that they should not grow complacent. Though he was the clan's leader he didn't get to make all the decisions alone; there was a council of elders where the head of each family had equal say in matters concerning the clan. He often told her of his frustation with the others, who unanimously chose peace over a rekindling of their old blood feud. Shiina tried to mediate as best as she could, though it was often futile. Madara was a very stubborn man with the unfortunate tendency to think that he knew what was best for everybody, including her. Hence why he strictly forbade her from taking part in any combat whatsoever anymore. Senkai had found its resting place in a wooden trunk in their bedroom. Some nights her dreams were filled with blood, darkness and restless howling. It was easy to tell that the blade was as unsatisfied with the situation as her. 

When all was said and done, when all political matters were discussed and argued about, when it was just Madara and her, Shiina's happiness felt almost unreal. No minor grievances could change that. He was a deeply loving man and she felt it keenly whenever they were together. Though he rarely showed his affection with words or gestures she could see the love shining in his eyes when he looked at her. And what a love it was: great, vast and limitless. Sometimes it scared her with its intensity. Sometimes when he returned from missions he looked worn, not from fighting but rather from a lack of sleep. Once, when they were about to fall asleep together, he'd mumbled out the confession that he couldn't sleep right without her. Shiina cried a little at that, because she felt exactly the same. It was a bit scary how fast he became an extension of her own body and soul. 

After a year had passed the elders breached the subject of children, asking with carefully hidden concern why there was no offspring yet. Shiina had no answer for them. It certainly wasn't for a lack of trying. Aunt Fumiko eventually suggested that it might be because she was not of the clan. 

"Huh?" Shiina asked and blinked at her. 

The old woman shrugged and took a drag of her long pipe. "Uchihas don't often marry outsiders. We've had one or two cases I can remember. Both marriages remained childless. I theorize that it is because of the Sharingan."

"How so?"

"It is one of the three Great Dojutsu and an extremely powerful weapon. The more powerful the user, the more chakra they have, the better will they be able to wield it. We see it in our own ninja. Those who are.. weaker," she stated carefully, which made some of the other ladies in the room shift uncomfortably on their haunches. "They will never unlock its full potential. It's that dependence on a large chakra pool, I think. It's a fact that all Uchihas possess above average chakra reserves. I believe that means that women who are not of the clan, who do not possess our large amounts of chakra, will not be able to produce our offspring."

"I.. see...," Shiina muttered slowly and looked down at her lap. "So... I'm not sure I.. I don't know much about chakra. I'm a samurai.."

"Ah. Do not blame yourself. You're still a remarkable woman and Madara loves you dearly. That is all that matters."

Shiina grit her teeth. Bullshit. She knew damn well that everybody and their mother expected her to give Madara a son to continue his line. More than that, she wanted children with him. Hearing this now was like a suckerpunch. She hadn't bothered paying much attention to her chakra or building it up at all, since her fighting style didn't rely on it. It was hard to quantify and even harder to tell how much would be enough. If that was even the problem. It could also be that one of them simply wasn't fertile. Though in her heart of hearts she suspected the fault laid with her. Shiina felt their stares keenly. Those other women who, though outwardly kind, must resent her. They had daughters around her age, daughters who wouldn't have had this kind of problem. Daughters whose evil stares she sometimes felt on her back when she walked past. Shiina didn't have many friends among the clan members who were her own age. Life within the compound could be very lonely and stifling sometimes. At least Madara himself didn't seem too worried about it. 

"We'll just have to keep trying," he stated neutrally when she breached the subject that evening. 

"Ha, I bet you like that," she replied with a small grin.

They sat on their futon together with the sliding door that led outside halfway open to let in a cooling breeze, since the summer night was still overly warm. The sky outside was bright with a full moon and the stars twinkled like a myriad of little diamonds. Shiina leaned against his side and exhaled slowly. An arm wrapped around her back and pulled her closer. 

"What if it doesn't work?"

"Shiina."

She furrowed her brows against the sudden surge of anxious emotions inside her chest. 

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"It's.. it's been a year. The elders are questioning why we're childless.."

"Don't let them pressure you," he replied immediately and looked down at her with a small frown. 

Shiina looked up at him and bit her lower lip. "Do you think there's something wrong with me?" She whispered hoarsely when the feelings of self-doubt and uncertainty just kept growing.

"No!" He snapped and his frown deepened with indignation that wasn't aimed at her. "I should have words with those old bats!"

"Don't," she replied quickly and put a hand on his chest. "It's not their fault, they were just curious.. Sorry for bringing it up.. Don't fight with your family because of me."

"Shiina," he said softly and tilted her chin up to look her in the eye. "Do not be troubled. We still have time."

She swallowed hard and looked uncertainly between his eyes. "But.."

He shook his head with a stubborn look on his face and cupped the left side of her jaw. "We'll have all the time in the world to make a child yet. What matters the most to me right now is you."

"M-Madara," she chocked out and felt her eyes burn. 

He tilted his head to the side with a small smile and brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. "You are an excellent woman, Shiina. My woman," he murmured and leaned in until their lips were brushing. "Nothing will ever change that."

Shiina squeezed her eyes shut and closed the distance with a muffled sob. Both of his arms wound around her back and pulled her in. He was always so gentle with her that it was sometimes hard to imagine him capable of killing anybody. She pushed some of his long thick mane out of his face and enjoyed the soft slide of their lips. As good as the sex was she enjoyed this kind of intimacy much more. Over time she noticed it was the same for him as he didn't initiate sex very often, seemingly preferring endless kissing sessions. The conclusion Shiina arrived at was simply that he was so starved for love and tenderness that he took his sweet time enjoying it whenever it was given to him. After realizing this she made sure to shower him with it at every turn. 

Slowly she began to run her fingers up the base of his neck and smiled when he sighed contently into the kiss. The tension that was always there, whether he was aware of it or not, began to seep out of his shoulders. Slowly, part by part, he began to let down his defenses and guards. It always took time and effort to get him to this stage, but Shiina found that she enjoyed it. When he was open and vulnerable he reminded her strongly of the boy she first met all those years ago, before he'd been tainted by grief and burdened with responsibility. The smile he wore when she pulled back was almost wondrous and his onyx eyes were lit up by an inner warmth that rarely came out so clearly. Shiina regarded him fondly. 

"Hey."

"What is it?"

"I love you. All of you. Every single part. Even if it's silly I think we were made for each other and I do believe.. I believe that we'll always find each other. No matter what. In the next life, or the one after that.."

"So philosophical today," he replied with a soft smile and kissed her cheek. 

"Hmph," she huffed with a small pout and rested her hands on his shoulders.

He leaned down and paused to look at her calmly. She met his gaze and felt her pout soften into a smile automatically. His other arm moved from her back to cup the other side of her jaw as well. Her heart skipped a beat before it sped up. 

"Every day my love for you grows. I share this belief with you, that our souls are entwined so closely now that they can never be parted again."

Shiina sucked in a sharp breath and couldn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks. It ached. Her entire chest ached because it was so full of love and she let out a shaky breath, unable to formulate her feelings into words. Nothing she could say could properly describe the wealth of her feelings for him anyway. She climbed onto his lap and wound her arms around his neck, putting their foreheads together with a sigh. There was nothing better than this. After spending all her life in shadows, it truly felt like the light was shining onto her for the first time ever. 

"Madara," she whispered hoarsely. "You make me feel complete.."

A small smile grew on his face as he huffed. "We are one," he stated confidently and tightened his embrace. 

"Yes," she sighed happily and buried her face in his shoulder. "We are."

"Shiina. I would.. burn this whole world to the ground for you," he muttered.

Her brows twitched, but she did not lift her head. Where did that come from? "Yeah?" She asked uncertainly. 

He didn't reply to that and just pulled her closer, as close as he could, before he turned his head against hers and breathed evenly into her hair. A certain uneasy suspicion began to take root inside her. Something troubled him, but she didn't know what. 

"You are the only thing that matters now," he whispered.

His grip was nigh crushing and it felt a little uncomfortable, but Shiina was too busy wondering about this sudden change in tune to complain. 

"Would you like to tell me what troubles you?" She asked carefully.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Shiina pressed her lips together and sighed quietly. There was no point pushing the issue, it would just make him clam up even more. When Madara wasn't ready to talk about something no one could make him. Not even her. There were things he didn't tell her, like what exactly the council discussed, or what his own plans were beyond being ready for a Senju aggression that she was sure wasn't coming. Not while Hashirama had a say in the matter at least. She tried not to let it get to her, but it ached to be kept in the dark about those things. Undoubtedly it was his way of protecting her. Both of them knew she was made of sterner stuff, but Madara appeared to think she was better off untroubled by the unrest brewing inside him. Not realizing, of course, that she wanted to share his burdens, because he could be a horribly stubborn ass.


End file.
